North  American  Fauna,  No.  14. 


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U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 
DIVISION  OF  BIOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA 

USTo.   14 


[Actual  date  of  publication,  April  29,  1899] 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS,  MEXICO 

General  Account  of  the  Islands,  with  Reports  on  Mammals  and 

Birds.     By  E.  W.  NELSON 

Reptiles  of  the  Tres  Marias.     By  LEONHARD  STEJNEGER 
Notes  on  Crustacea  of  the  Tres  Marias.     By  MARY  J.  RATHBUN 
Plants  of  the  Tres  Marias.     By  J.  N.  ROSE 
Bibliography  of  the  Tres  Marias.     By  E.  W.  NELSON 

Prepared  under  tlio  direction  of 

Dr.    C.    HART    MERRIAM 

CHIEF  OK   DIVISION   OF   MOLOGICAL    SURVEY 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE 
1899 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


DIVISION  OF  BIOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  January  25,  1899. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  for  publication  as  North 
American  Fauna  No.  14  a  report  by  E.  W.  Nelson  on  the  natural  his- 
tory of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands,  Mexico.  These  islands  are  the  largest 
off  the  west  coast  between  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
but  have  seldom  been  visited,  and  very  little  is  known  of  their  fauna 
or  flora.  For  several  years  Mr.  Nelson  has  had  charge  of  the  field 
work  of  the  Biological  Survey  in  Mexico,  and  in  May,  1897,  visited 
the  Tres  Marias.  During  the  course  of  this  visit  he  made  a  thorough 
collection  of  birds  and  mammals  and  also  secured  specimens  of  reptiles, 
fishes,  mollusks,  crustaceans,  and  plants,  so  that  his  report  contains  a 
fairly  complete  account  of  the  natural  history  of  the  islands.  In  work- 
ing up  the  material  collected,  Mr.  Nelson  has  had  the  assistance  of 
several  well  known  naturalists  in  the  United  States  National  Museum 
and  United  States  Fish  Commission,  who  have  prepared  reports  on 
special  groups,  as  credited  in  detail  on  page  13. 

Mention  should  be  made  also  of  the  unfailing  courtesy  and  interest 
of  the  Mexican  Government  in  the  investigations  conducted  by  the 
Biological  Survey  in  Mexico.  Letters  have  been  furnished  by  officials 
in  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  by  the  late  Mexican  minister  in  Washing- 
ton, Sefior  Don  Matias  Romero,  which  greatly  facilitated  the  work  in 
various  ways,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  to  the  Tres  Marias 
enabled  Mr.  Nelson  to  borrow  a  large  boat  at  San  Bias  and  secure 
comfortable  quarters  on  the  islands. 

Several  attempts  at  agriculture  have  been  made  on  the  Tres  Marias 
Islands,  but  the  results  have  thus  far  been  unsuccessful,  owing  to  the 
dry  climate  and  the  scarcity  of  permanent  water.  Corn  and  beans 
have  been  grown  on  a  small  scale,  but  the  crops  suffer  from  the  severe 
storms  which  occur  at  certain  seasons.  Experiments  have  been  made 
with  a  view  to  utilizing  the  native  species  of  agave  for  fiber  and  mes- 
cal, and  the  cultivation  of  cotton  has  also  been  tried  without  success. 
Recently  it  has  been  proposed  to  establish  an  American  colony  on  one 
of  the  islands  for  the  purpose  of  growing  coffee,  bananas,  Australian 


4  LETTER    OF    TRANSMITTAL. 

chestnuts,  and  date  palms,  and  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of 
banana  and  chestnut  flour.  Such  a  scheme,  Mr.  Nelson  tells  me,  could 
only  result  in  failure,  as  the  islands  are  entirely  unsuited  to  growing 
these  products.  It  therefore  seerns  desirable  to  publish  at  once  all  the 
information  in  the  possession  of  the  Department,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  it  available  to  those  who  may  be  interested  in  the  islands  or 
their  products. 

Eespectfully, 

C.  HART  MERRIAM, 

Chief,  Biological  Survey. 
Hon.  JAMES  WILSON, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

General  description  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands,  Mexico.     By  E.  W.  Nelson 7 

Mammals  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.     By  E.  W.  Nelson 15 

Birds  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.     By  E.  W.  Nelsou 21 

Reptiles  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.     By  Leonhard  Stejneger 63 

Notes  011  Crustacea  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.     By  Mary  J.  Rathbun 73 

Plants  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.     By  J.  N.  Rose 77 

Partial  Bibliography  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.     By  E.  W.  Nelson 93 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATE. 
Map  of  the  Tres  Marias  Islands Frontispiece. 


FIGURES. 

Page. 

1.  Erythrina  lanata  Rose 81 

2.  Euphorbia  nelsoni  Millspaugh 89 

5 


No,  14,  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA,    April  29,  1899, 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS,  MEXICO. 

By  E.  W.  NELSON. 
INTRODUCTION. 

The  Tres  Marias  islands  are  situated  off  the  west  coast  of  Mexico, 
about  C5  miles  west  from  the  port  of  San  Bias.  These  islands  have 
been  known  since  early  in  the  history  of  the  ^New  World,  and  in  1532 
were  named  Las  Islas  de  la  Magdalena  by  Diego  de  Mendo/a.  Many 
of  the  early  explorers  sailed  about  them,  and  Dampier  states  that 
they  were  familiar  to  the  buccaneers  who  visited  these  shores.  They 
are  mentioned  by  several  of  the  later  voyagers,  especially  the  English 
exploring  expeditious  which  visited  the  west  coast  of  Mexico  in 'the 
first  half  of  the  present  century.  During  all  this  time,  however,  they 
remained  uninhabited  and  nothing  definite  was  known  or  published 
concerning  their  character  or  products.  It  is  said  at  San  Bias  that  the 
first  men  who  lived  upon  the  islands  were  bandits,  who  took  refuge 
there,  and  had  a  secure  retreat  from  which  they  harried  the  mainland 
settlements  for  several  years.  Finally,  the  abundance  of  Spanish 
cedar  became  known,  a  settlement  of  woodcutters  was  established  on 
Marie  Madre,  and  this  island  has  since  been  continuously  inhabited. 

Col.  A.  J.  Grayson,  a  naturalist  who  lived  for  many  years  on  the  west 
coast  of  Mexico,  was  the  first  to  publish  any  detailed  information  about 
the  islands.'  Most  of  this  information  is  contained  in  the  various  papers 
embodying  the  results  of  his  three  trips  to  the  Tres  Marias  in  18G5,  'G6, 
and  '67,  published  by  himself,  George  N.  Lawrence,  and  W.  E.  Bryant. 
In  1881  Alphouse  Forrer,  a  natural  history  collector,  spent  some  time  on 
Maria  Madre  collecting  specimens  for  the  British  Museum,  but  no  de- 
tailed account  of  his  work  has  been  published.  No  other  naturalist  is 
known  to  have  visited  the  islands  until  the  spring  of  1897.  In  April  of 
that  year  Mr.  E.  A.  Goldman  and  I  visited  the  port  of  San  Bias  for  the 

1  Mr.  John  Xantus,  who  spent  several  years  subsequent  to  1859  on  the  west  coast  of 
Mexico,  was  supposed  to  have  visited  the  islands,  on  account  of  several  specimens 
of  birds  which  ho  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  labeled  "  Tros  Marias  Islands, 
1861."  But  as  no  one  else  has  collected  any  of  these  species,  and  as  Xantus  sent  in 
no  birds  which  have  been  taken  by  others  on  the  islands,  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that 
he  did  not  visit  the  Tres  Marias. 

7 


8  NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 

purpose  of  outfitting  an  expedition  to  the  Tres  Marias.  A  letter  to  the 
collector  of  customs  at  San  Bias,  kindly  furnished  me  by  the  Mexican 
Minister  in  Washington,  the  late  Don  Matias  Romero,  proved  of  the 
greatest  service.  The  collector  of  customs  rendered  every  assistance 
in  his  power,  including  the  loan  of  a  large  open  boat  25  feet  long,  and 
a  letter  to  his  deputy  which  secured  us  very  pleasant  quarters  in  the 
custom  house  on  Maria  Madre.  While  preparations  for  the  trip  were 
in  progress  a  party  from  Socorro,  ST.  Mex.,  consisting  of  Prof.  C.  L. 
Herrick,  his  son  Harry,  and  Dr.  T.  S.  Maltby  arrived  at  San  Bias,  also 
bound  for  the  Tres  Marias,  and  we  made  the  trip  together.  On  the 
evening  of  April  28  the  boat  crept  out  of  the  lagoon,  and  by  the  aid  of 
a  faint  land  breeze  edged  slowly  off  shore.  The  islands  came  in  sight 
the  next  morning,  but  it  was  impossible  to  reach  them  for  several  days, 
owing  to  calms,  head  winds,  and  the  lack  of  a  keel  to  the  boat.  The 
stock  of  water  was  on  the  point  of  exhaustion  when  Maria  Madre  was 
finally  reached,  three  days  later,  on  the  afternoon  of  May  2. 

The  landing  was  made  at  the  settlement  at  the  head  of  a  shallow 
bay  on  the  east  side  of  the  island.  Our  letters  secured  a  cordial 
welcome  from  the  customs  inspector  and  the  agent  of  the  owner  of  the 
islands.  In  a  couple  of  hours  the  outfit  was  snugly  installed  on  the 
broad  upper  verandas  of  the  custom  house,  where  our  headquarters 
were  located.  Collections  were  made  near  this  place,  the  island  trav- 
ersed both  on  foot  and  horseback,  and  on  May  20  a  boat  trip  was  made 
to  the  north  end  of  the  island  and  across  to  San  Jnanito.  On  May  23 
the  party  returned  to  the  settlement,  and  two  days  later  proceeded  to 
Maria  Magdalena,  where  camp  was  made  near  the  beach  for  four  days. 
On  May  29  we  crossed  to  Maria  Cleofa,  where  we  remained  two  days, 
and  then  started,  May  31,  on  the  return  to  the  mainland.  The  wind  was 
fair,  and  a  quick  trip  was  made,  San  Bias  being  reached  on  the  evening 
of  June  1. 

When  Colonel  Grayson  visited  the  islands,  in  1865,  he  found  a  settle- 
ment on  Maria  Madre,  but  the  other  islands  uninhabited.  In  the 
spring  of  1897  there  was  a  branch  custom-house,  with  three  inspectors, 
at  the  main  settlement  on  Maria  Madre,  which  had  supervision  of  the 
shipment  of  salt  and  Spanish  cedar.  The  settlement  contained  about 
twenty-five  families,  all  of  whom,  except  the  customs  inspectors,  were 
in  the  service  of  the  owner  of  the  islands,  Sefiora  Gil  de  Azcona, 
who  lived  in  the  city  of  Tepic,  on  the  mainland.  In  May  and  June 
the  workmen  are  employed  in  salt-making  at  a  lagoon  near  the  south 
point  of  the  island,  where  there  is  a  small  group  of  houses.  The  rest 
of  the  year  they  are  occupied  in  cutting  cedar  and  hauling  it  to  the 
beach  for  shipment.  The  available  supply  of  this  valuable  timber  is 
now  approaching  exhaustion.  Subsequent  to  Grayson's  visit  a  settle- 
ment of  woodcutters  was  made  on  the  northeast  side  of  Maria  Magda- 
lena, and  a  number  of  houses  were  built  and  a  field  cleared.  We 
found  the  place  deserted,  the  houses  in  ruins,  and  the  field  overgrown 
with  thorny  bushes. 


GENERAL    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.          9 

The  amount  of  land  suitable  for  agriculture  upon  the  islands  is  very 
limited  and  forms  but  a  small  percentage  of  the  total  area.  A  few 
cattle  are  raised  on  Maria  Madre,  but  the  scanty  herbage  and  great 
scarcity  of  water  during  the  long  dry  season  limit  this  industry  to  the 
most  insignificant  proportions.  There  is  a  small  field  near  the  settle- 
ment, where  coarse  grass  is  grown  for  stock.  Attempts  have  been 
made  to  grow  corn  and  beans  to  supply  the  residents,  but  the  fierce 
summer  storms  of  wind  and  rain,  called  'chubascos,'  which  beat  the 
crops  to  the  ground,  have  rendered  these  efforts  futile.  At  present 
all  food  supplies  are  brought  from  the  mainland.  A  number  of  years 
ago  a  house  was  built  and  a  field  cleared  and  fenced  near  the  north 
end  of  the  island  for  the  purpose  of  growing  cotton.  A  warehouse 
was  also  built  at  the  main  settlement,  but  after  a  trial  the  owner  was 
forced  to  abandon  the  industry,  the  field  and  house  were  deserted,  and 
the  place  is  now  overgrown  with  bushes.  Subsequently  it  was  proposed 
to  utilize  the  agaves,  which  grow  abundantly  near  the  north  end  of  the 
island,  for  fiber  and  for  distilling  from  their  fleshy  bases  the  alcoholic 
product  known  as  'mescal.'  Machinery  was  obtained,  but  the  owner 
died  before  the  industry  was  exploited. 

In  winter  the  weather  is  dry  and  pleasant,  and  small  coasting  steam- 
ers stop  every  now  and  then  to  take  on  wood  for  fuel,  and  sailing 
vessels  call  for  Spanish  cedar  or,  in  spring,  for  salt.  In  May  the 
inhabitants  are  obliged  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  provisions  sufficient  for 
several  months,  as  they  are  practically  cut  off  from  communication 
with  the  mainland  during  summer,  when  the  islands  are  avoided  on 
account  of  the  storms  that  sweep  over  them.  Many  objects  drift  out 
from  the  Gulf  of  California  after  storms  and  are  cast  up  on  the  shores. 
In  September,  1896,  a  great  tornado  of  wind  and  rain  swept  over 
northern  Sinaloa  and  the  Gulf  of  California;  the  coast  lowlands  were 
devastated  by  the  flooded  rivers,  and  crops  and  forests  were  alike 
overwhelmed  and  swept  to  sea.  In  May,  1897j  the  shore  of  Maria 
Madre  was  still  strewn  with  cornstalks,  driftwood,  and  other  wreckage 
that  had  been  stranded  after  this  storm. 

Our  obligations  to  the  collector  of  customs  at  San  Bias  and  his  agent 
on  Maria  Madre  have  already  been  mentioned,  and  acknowledgments 
are  due  also  to  the  owner  of  the  islands,  Sefiora  Gil  de  Azcona,  whose 
letter  procured  us  the  use  of  horses  and  other  courtesies. 

PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

The  Tres  Marias  are  situated  between  latitude  21°  and  22°  and 
longitude  106°  and  107°  (see  frontispiece).  Between  the  islands  and 
the  mainland,  20  miles  offshore,  lies  Isabel  Island,  only  about  a  mile 
long  and  150  feet  high.  The  soundings  in  the  channel  between  the 
mainland  and  the  islands  gradually  deepen  to  less  than  300  fathoms, 
but  just  west  of  the  group  the  sea  bottom  drops  rapidly  to  more  than 
1,500  fathoms.  The  absence  of  a  deep  channel  shows  that  they  are 
continental  islands,  as  distinguished  from  thg£tf0&aHic  lievillagigedo 
group,  farther  west. 

- 


10  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

The  Tres  Marias  group  comprises  four  islands,  San  Juanito,  Maria 
Madre,  Maria  Magdalena,  aud  Maria  Cleofa,  arranged  in  a  northwest 
and  southeast  direction.  Maria  Madre,  the  largest,  measures  about 
8  by  15  miles,  aud  rises  over  2,000  feet  above  the  sea.  North  of  this, 
and  separated  from  it  by  a  channel  4  miles  wide  and  5  or  6  fathoms 
deep,  is  San  Juanito,  an  islet  3  or  4  miles  in  diameter  and  about  100 
feet  high.  Next  southeast  of  Maria  Madre  is  Maria  Magdalena, 
roughly  triangular  in  outline  and  7  or  8  miles  across,  with  its  central 
summit  rising  to  an  altitude  of  about  1,500  feet.  A  shallow  channel 
8  miles  wide  separates  it  from  Maria  Madre.  Southeast  of  Maria  Mag- 
dalena lies  Maria  Cleofa,  the  last  of  the  group.  It  is  irregularly 
rounded  in  outline,  about  3  miles  across,  and  its  altitude  is  apparently 
much  less  than  1,320  feet,  as  given  on  the  charts.  The  channel  between 
the  two  last-named  islands  is  about  12  miles  wide  and  much  deeper 
than  the  others. 

With  the  exception  of  San  Juanito,  which  is  nearly  flat  with  a  narrow 
border  of  low  bluffs  along  the  north  shore,  the  islands  are  mountainous 
and  rise  in  successive  slopes  from  the  shore  to  the  culminating  point 
near  the  center.  The  interior  of  Maria  Madre  is  occupied  by  a  moun- 
tainous ridge  extending  almost  the  entire  length  of  the  island,  but 
descending  to  a  gently  sloping  area  near  each  end.  The  eastern  side 
of  the  island  has  the  longer  slope,  while  the  westward  or  seaward  face 
is  much  more  abrupt,  thus  corresponding  with  the  formation  of  the 
mountains  parallel  to  the  coast  on  the  adjacent  mainland.  Both  slopes 
of  the  island  are  scored  at  intervals  with  canyons  which  usually  descend 
in  a  nearly  direct  line  to  the  sea.  Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria  Cleofa 
are  occupied  by  a  central  mountainous  elevation,  from  which  canyons 
descend  in  all  directions  to  the  sea.  The  northeastern  points  of  both 
these  islands  are  low,  flat,  sandy  areas  of  limited  extent,  and  the  west- 
ern faces  are  rocky  and  precipitous.  Permanent  fresh  water  is  very 
scarce  on  all  the  islands.  There  are  three  little  streams  on  Maria 
Madre,  which  sink  several  miles  from  the  sea  during  the  dry  season, 
and  one  each  on  Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria  Cleofa. 

The  relative  situation  of  the  islands,  with  the  narrow,  shallow  chan- 
nels between  them,  shows  conclusively  that  at  one  time  they  formed  a 
single  island  at  least  45  or  50  miles  long,  and  at  a  still  earlier  stage  they 
must  have  been  connected  with  the  mainland.  One  of  the  strong- 
est proofs  of  this  former  connection  is  shown  by  the  correspondence 
between  the  fauna  and  flora.  The  breaking  down  of  the  original  island 
into  several  smaller  ones  and  the  evident  continuous  encroachment  of 
the  sea  appear  to  indicate  that  the  subsidence  is  still  in  progress.  The 
country  back  of  the  coast  on  the  mainland  was,  within  a  comparatively 
recent  period,  the  scene  of  great  volcanic  activity,  and  the  Tres  Marias 
bear  evidence  of  having  undergone  various  oscillations  in  level.  On 
Maria  Madre  there  are  great  beds  of  marine  deposits,  hundreds  of  feet 
above  sea  level,  containing  quantities  of  shells  and  corals  of  species 
now  living  along  the  shore.  Isabel  Island,  near  the  mainland,  is  of 


GENERAL    DESCRIPTION   OF    THE    TRES   MARIAS    ISLANDS.       11 

volcanic  origin  and  exhibits  similar  evidence  of  having  once  been  a 
much  larger  island  which  is  now  sinking.  Apparently  it  consists  mainly 
of  the  remains  of  an  old  volcano,  and  a  small  crater  still  occupies  the 
center  of  the  island.  Although  no  craters  were  seen  on  the  Tres 
Marias,  yet  there  are  lavas  and  other  volcanic  rocks  on  all  the  islands, 
but  a  large  part  of  the  formation  is  made  up  of  other  rocks  elevated  by 
the  volcanic  uplift. 

FAUNA. 

The  Tres  Marias,  like  the  adjacent  coast,  lie  within  the  Arid  Tropical 
life  zone.  The  evidence  furnished  by  the  fauna  of  the  former  connec- 
tion of  the  Tres  Marias  with  the  mainland  is  as  follows :  Six  species 
of  land  shells  were  obtained,  which,  according  to  Dr.  William  H.  Ball, 
are  widely  distributed  on  the  mainland.  These  species  are  Polygyra 
ventrosula  Pfr.,  Orthalicus  undatus  Brug.,  Orthalicus  undatm  melano- 

cheilus  Val.,  Lamellaxis ?,  Opeas  subula  Pfr.,  and  Glandina  turris, 

Pfr.  A  fresh- water  fish  taken  on  Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria  Cleofa 
has  been  identified  by  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  as  Agonostomus  nasutus 
Giinther,  a  common  species  on  the  mainland.  In  fresh-water  pools  on 
Maria  Magdalena  two  or  three  individuals  of  another  small  fish  were 
seen,  which  were  very  similiar  to  common  mainland  species  of  Aicaous, 
and  undoubtedly  belong  to  this  or  a  closely  allied  genus.  Six  of  the 
seven  species  of  lizards  inhabit  the  mainland,  and  only  one  is  peculiar 
to  the  islands;  the  mud  turtle  and  crocodile  are  also  found  on  the 
mainland,  as  are  the  eight  species  of  snakes.  Concerning  the  reptilian 
fauna  Dr.  Stejneger  remarks:  "Thus  most  of  the  species  are  common 
on  the  opposite  mainland  and  generally  distributed  over  tropical  Mexico 
and  Central  America.  Then  again  it  seems  as  if  the  species  are  prac- 
tically identical  on  all  the  islands  of  the  group.  This  would  indicate 
a  comparatively  recent  severance  of  these  islands  from  each  other,  as 
well  as  from  the  opposite  mainland  of  Mexico." 

The  birds  and  mammals  seem  to  have  been  more  susceptible  to  modi- 
fying influences  than  other  forms  of  life.  Thirty-six  species  of  resident 
land  birds  were  found  on  the  group,  of  which  twelve  are  identical  with 
those  on  the  mainland,  and  twenty-four  can  be  distinguished  specifically 
or  subspecifically.  We  found  ten  species  of  indigenous  mammals,  seven 
of  which,  acccording  to  Dr.  Merriam,  are  peculiar  to  the  islands,  but 
closely  related  to  species  living  on  the  mainland. 

ANIMALS  PECULIAR  TO  THE  TRES  MARIAS. 

So  far  as  known,  the  following  species  and  subspecies  (with  the  excep- 
tion of  Compsothlypis  insularis)  are  peculiar  to  the  islands: 


Marmosa  insularis  Merriam.  Procyon  lotor  insularis  Merriam. 

Oryzomys  nelsoni  Merriain.  Bhoyeessa  parvula  H.  Allen. 

Peromyscus  madrensis  Morriam.  Glossophaga  mutica  Merriam. 
Lepus  grayeoni  Allen. 


12 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


Columba  flavirostris  madrensis  Nelson. 
Leptotila  capitalis  Nelson. 
Buteo  borealis  fumosus  Nelson. 
Polyborus  cheriway  pallidits  Nelson. 
Psiltacula  insularis  Ridgway. 
Trogon  ambiguus  gold-man i  Nelson. 
Dryobates  scalaris  graysoni  Baird. 
Nyctidromus  albicollis  insularis  Nelson. 
Amazilia  yraysoni  Lawrence. 
lache  lawrencei  Ridgway. 
Platypsaris  aglaice  insularis  (Ridgway). 
Myiopagis placens  minimus  Nelson. 
Icterus  graysoni  Cassin. 


Cardinalis  cardinalis  marice  Nelson. 
Piranga  bidentata  flammea  (Ridgway). 
Vlreo  flavoriridis  forreri  (Von  Madarasz). 
Vireo  hypochryseus  aordidus  Nelson. 
Compsotlilypis  insularis  (Lawrence).     Oc- 
curs also  on  the  mainland  near  San  Bias. 
GranateUus  francescce,  Baird. 
Thryothorus  lawrendi  (Ridgway). 
Thryothorus  lawrendi  magdalence  Nelson. 
Melanotis  ccerulescens  longirostris  Nelson. 
Myadestes  obscurus  insularis  Stejneger. 
Merula  graysoni  Ridgway. 


Cncmidophorus  mariarum  Giinther. 


FLORA. 


The  islands  were  visited  near  the  end  of  the  long  dry  season,  when 
most  of  the  herbaceous  plants  were  withered  and  lifeless,  but  repre- 
sentatives of  136  species,  largely  shrubs  and  trees,  were  secured. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  vegetation  was  the  same  as  that  in 
similar  situations  on  the  mainland.  Among  the  most  notable  plants 
were  the  Spanish  cedar  (Cedrela),  three  species  of  wild  fig  (Ficus),  two 
of  Pithecolobium,  five  of  Solanum,  two  of  Ipomcea,  a  Passiflora,  cassias, 
euphorbias,  a  large  agave,  a  large  cereus,  and  two  opuntias. 

On  San  Juanito  the  vegetation  is  largely  made  up  of  bushes  and 
scrubby  trees  8  to  15  feet  high,  with  many  agaves  on  the  sandy  southern 
end.  Agaves  are  very  numerous  also  on  the  northern  end  of  Maria 
Madre.  On  the  latter  island  the  forest  is  rather  low  and  scrubby  near 
the  shore,  but  increases  in  luxuriance  farther  up  the  slopes,  especially 
along  the  bottoms  and  sides  of  the  canyons,  where  Spanish  cedars,  wild 
figs,  and  several  other  trees  attain  a  large  size.  In  its  primeval  con- 
dition, before  the  advent  of  woodcutters,  it  must  have  presented  a  fine 
example  of  tropical  forest  growth.  Now,  only  a  few  specimens  remain 
to  show  what  the  original  condition  must  have  been.  Along  the  sum- 
mit of  the  island  the  dense  forest  is  made  up  of  slender-trunked  trees, 
called  'palo  prieto'  by  the  natives,  which  I  was  unable  to  identify. 
On  Maria  Magdalena  the  conditions  were  similar  to  those  on  Maria 
Madre,  but  a  larger  percentage  of  the  original  forest  still  remains  intact, 
although  the  Spanish  cedars  are  mainly  gone.  Maria  Cleofa  is  more 
rocky  and  sterile,  and  the  trees  are  stunted  and  brushy.  Several  spe- 
cies found  on  the  other  islands  appeared  to  be  wanting  here.  The 
report  on  the  plants  shows  that  the  flora  of  the  islands  is  very  similar 
to  that  of  the  mainland,  and  the  fact  that  several  new  species  were 
found  may  be  due  to  our  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  mainland  flora. 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.        13 


PLANTS   DESCRIBED    FROM    THE    TRES    MARIAS. 


JEgiphila  pacifica  Greeiiman. 
Seloperone  nelsoni  Greenmaii. 
Buxus  pubescens  Greenman. 
Cordia  insularis  Greenman. 


Gilibertia  insularis  Rose  sp.  nov. 
Pilocarpita  insularis  Rose  sp.  nov. 
Ternostroemia  maltbya  Rose  sp.  nov.  (also 
on  mainland). 


Erythrina  lanata  Rose  sp.  nov.  (also  on      Zanthoxylum  insularis  Rose  sp.  nov. 


mainland). 

Euphorbia  nelsoni  Millspaugh. 
Euphorbia    subccerulea    tresmariw   Millsp. 

var.  nov. 


Zanthoxylum  nelsoni  Rose  sp.  nov. 


SUMMARY. 

The  following  statement  shows  the  number  of  species  of  animals  and 
plants  now  known  from  the  Tres  Marias : 


Land  mammals  11 

Birds 83 

Reptiles 18 

Fresh- water  fish...  2 


Fresh- water  shrimp 1 

Land  mollusks 6 

Plants ..136 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

Much  of  the  value  of  this  report  is  due  to  the  cordial  cooperation  of 
several  eminent  specialists.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  F.  V.  Coville, 
curator  of  the  National  Herbarium,  Dr.  J.  N.  Bose,  assistant  curator, 
was  enabled  to  prepare  the  report  on  the  plants.  Dr.  Leonhard  Stej- 
neger,  curator  of  the  division  of  reptiles  of  the  National  Museum, 
Dr.  William  H.  Dall,  honorary  curator  of  the  division  of  conchology, 
and  Miss  Mary  J.  Eathbun,  assistant  in  the  division  of  invertebrates, 
reported  on  the  Tres  Marias  material;  and  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermanu, 
ichthyologist  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission,  kindly  identified 
the  collection  of  fishes  from  the  islands  and  the  adjacent  mainland. 
Finally,  I  wish  to  express  my  great  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Robert  Eidg- 
way,  curator,  and  Dr.  Charles  W.  Eichmond,  assistant  curator,  of  the 
division  of  birds  in  the  National  Museum,  for  having  so  freely  placed 
at  my  disposal,  not  only  the  material  in  their  charge  but  also  their 
knowledge  of  tropical  American  birds. 


MAMMALS  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS. 

By  E.  W.  NELSON. 

Mammals  are  not  numerous  either  in  species  or  individuals  upon  the 
Tres  Marias.  So  far  as  known,  they  number  but  eleven  species,  of 
which  seven  are  peculiar  to  the  islands;  one  is  introduced,  and  the 
other  three  are  widely  ranging  bats.  A  sea  lion  and  two  species  of 
porpoise  were  found  near  the  shores,  and  whales  were  reported  to 
occur  during  certain  seasons.  As  with  the  birds,  one  of  the  most 
unaccountable  features  of  the  mammal  fauna  is  the  absence  of  a  num- 
ber of  species  that  are  common  on  the  adjacent  mainland.  Considering 
the  primitive  condition  of  the  islands,  it  is  difficult  to  explain  the 
presence  of  field  mice,  the  pigmy  opossum,  rabbit,  and  raccoon,  while 
the  large  gray  opossum,  nasua,  skunk,  fox,  coyote,  deer,  peccary, 
squirrel,  and  various  small  rodents  of  the  adjacent  mainland  remain 
unrepresented.  The  Tres  Marias  mouse  was  rather  common  above  200 
feet  on  all  of  the  larger  islands;  the  rabbit  was  very  numerous  near 
the  north  end  of  Maria  Madre,  on  San  Juanito,  and  in  some  places  on 
Maria  Magdalena,  and  two  species  of  bats  were  abundant  in  caves  on 
Maria  Madre.  Aside  from  these  species,  mammals  were  uncommon 
and  difficult  to  find.  One  cause  of  their  general  scarcity  may  be  the 
very  limited  supply,  of  permanent  fresh  water,  and  the  absence  of  small 
species  from  a  broad  belt  near  the  shore  was  easily  accounted  for  by 
the  abundance  of  carnivorous  crabs. 

The  mammals  obtained  by  our  party  have  been  identified  by  Dr.  C. 
Hart  Merriam,  who  has  described  the  new  forms  and  given  critical 
notes  on  other  species.1  Of  the  land  mammals  taken,  five  were  new 
and  two,  Lepus  graysoni  and  Rhogeessa  parvula,  had  been  previously 
described.  We  failed  to  secure  two  species  of  bats  (Myotis  nigricans 
and  Lasiurus  borealis  mexicanus)  which  were  taken  by  Mr.  Forrer.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  collections  were  made  in  several  branches 
of  natural  history,  I  feel  confident  that  representatives  of  all  the  resi- 
dent land  mammals  were  secured,  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  future 
work  may  add  other  bats  to  the  present  list. 

ANNOTATED   LIST   OF   SPECIES. 

Marmosa  insularis  Merriam.     Tres  Marias  Pigmy  Opossum. 

Marmosa  insularis  Merriam.     Proc.  Biol.  Soc.,  Washington,  XII,  pp.  14-15,  Jan. 

27,  1898.    Type  from  Maria  Madre  Island. 

These  pretty  little  opossums  were  not  found  except  in  the  high  inte- 
rior of  Maria  Madre,  between  1,200  and  1,800  feet  above  sea  level,  where 

'  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  pp.  13-19, 1898. 

15 


16  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

they  were  apparently  rather  common  about  the  wild  fig  trees  in  the 
forest  and  were  feeding  upon  the  figs.  They  may  occur  also  on  the 
other  islands,  especially  upon  Maria  Magdalena.  Two  men  living  on 
the  island  described  the  nests  of  these  animals  as  globular  masses  of 
dry  leaves  and  small  plant  stems,  lined  with  shreds  of  softer  vegetable 
matter.  The  nests  are  built  in  the  forks  of  bushes,  from  3  to  8  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  have  the  entrance  on  the  lower  side.  One  of 
the  men  found  a  nest  situated  as  described  and  about  3  feet  from 
the  ground.  He  saw  the  owner  peering  out  of  a  hole  near  the  lower 
side,  but  as  he  approached  the  head  vanished,  and  the  entrance  was 
suddenly  closed  by  the  opossum  drawing  some  of  the  nest  material 
across  it.  The  nest  was  quickly  thrust  into  a  game  bag,  and  when 
examined  was  found  to  contain  a  female  opossum  and  a  number  of 
young  clinging  to  her  fur  with  their  feet  and  tails  twined  closely 
about  hers.  The  weight  of  the  young  was  so  great  that  the  parent 
could  only  walk  very  slowly. 

Oryzomys  uelsoni  Merriam.     Nelson's  Rice  Rat. 

Oryzomys  nelsoni  Merriam.     Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  15,  Jan.  27, 
1898.    Type  from  Maria  Madre  Island. 

This  rice  rat  is  probably  a  rare  species,  as  only  a  few  specimens  were 
secured  after  much  trapping.  They  were  found  only  in  damp  places 
near  springs  about  the  summit  of  Maria  Madre,  about  1,800  feet  above 
sea  level.  This  seemed  the  most  suitable  location  for  them  on  account 
of  the  juicy  herbaceous  vegetation  mingled  with  the  undergrowth. 

Peromyscus  madrensis  Merriam.     Tres  Marias  Mouse. 

Peromyscus  madrensis  Merriam.     Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  16,  Jan.  27, 
1898.    Type  from  Maria  Madre  Island. 

This  is  the  mostly  widely  distributed  and  probably  the  most  numer- 
ous rodent.  Specimens  were  taken  on  the  three  large  islands,  but 
its  occurrence  on  San  Juanito,  where  land  crabs  are  very  numerous, 
is  doubtful.  They  were  generally  distributed  over  the  forest-grown 
slopes  bordering  the  shore,  above  the  belt  infested  by  crabs.  On 
Maria  Madre  they  were  most  common  about  the  wild  fig  trees  near  the 
summit  (1,500  to  1,800  feet),  where  the  pigmy  opossums  were  secured. 
Here  their  burrows  entered  the  ground  under  logs  or  projecting  roots, 
but  elsewhere  these  mice  were  found  living  beneath  rocks  and  small 
ledges.  They  are  apparently  restricted  to  the  forest,  and  while 
nowhere  so  abundant  as  were  the  rabbits  iu  one  place  near  the  north 
end  of  Maria  Madre,  yet  they  were  much  more  generally  distributed. 

Mus  rattus  Linn.     Black  Rat. 

These  rats  were  found  in  small  numbers  about  the  houses  and  dis- 
tributed over  the  forested  parts  of  Maria  Madre  and,  as  on  the  main- 
land of  western  Mexico,  we  found  only  the  gray  form. 

Lepus  graysoni  Allen.    Tres  Marias  Cottontail. 

Lepus  graysoni  Allen,  Mon.  N.  Am.  Rodentia,  pp.  347-348,  1877.     Type  from  Tres 
Marias  Islands  (undoubtedly  from  Maria  Madre). 

The  cottontail  is  abundant  in  some  places  on  San  Juauito,  Maria 
Madre  and  Maria  Magdalena,  and  was  reported  to  occur  on  Maria 


MAMMALS    OF    THE    TRES   MARIAS    ISLANDS.  17 

Cleofa.  They  were  very  numerous  about  a  deserted  rancli  on  the  north 
side  of  Maria  Magdalena,  but  were  rather  scarce  elsewhere  on  that 
island.  We  found  them  extraordinarily  abundant  and  surprisingly 
tame  about  old  fields  on  an  abandoned  ranch  at  the  northern  end  of 
Maria  Madre.  Some  were  killed  with  stones  near  camp,  and  it  would 
have  been  easy  to  kill  over  a  hundred  in  a  morning.  They  would  sit 
in  their  forms  among  the  bushes  while  one  peered  at  them  from  a  dis- 
tance of  a  few  feet,  and  when  driven  out  into  an  open  space  they  often 
sat  quietly  while  the  camera  was  brought  up  and  focussed  within  a 
short  distance.  The  old  fields  at  this  ranch  had  been  long  abandoned 
and  were  covered  with  a  scattered  growth  of  bushes,  which  seemed 
more  suitable  for  the  rabbits  than  the  forested  areas,  where  they 
occurred  much  more  sparingly.  The  cottontails  frequented  the  wood 
roads  leading  from  the  shore  up  over  tbe  forested  slopes,  and  after  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  could  be  found  sitting  quietly  in  little  open 
places  in  the  undergrowth  waiting  for  the  nearer  approach  of  sunset 
before  coming  out  into  the  roads. 

The  skin  of  these  rabbits  was  surprisingly  delicate,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  skin  them  without  tearing  it  in  many  places.  It  was  found 
almost  impossible  to  carry  a  specimen  by  the  hind  legs  even  a  short 
distance  without  having  the  skin  tear  and  slip  where  it  had  been 
grasped  by  the  hand. 

It  is  strange  that  tbe  rabbits  are  not  more  abundant  on  the  islands, 
considering  the  fact  that  the  raccoon  is  the  only  predatory  mammal, 
and  that  the  few  red-tailed  hawks  and  caracaras  are  the  only  birds 
that  prey  upon  them. 

Procyon  lotor  insularis  Merriam.     Tres  Marias  Raccoon. 

Procyon  lotor  insularis  Merriarn.     Proc.  Biol.   Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  17,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1898. 

The  raccoon  was  rather  common  on  Maria  Madre  and  Maria  Magda- 
lena,  but  no  signs  of  them  were  seen  on  Maria  Cleofa,  where,  however, 
they  may  occur.  In  May  they  were  feeding  on  wild  figs  and  other 
fruits  and  on  the  crabs,  which  were  very  abundant  near  the  shore. 
Every  morning  freshly  made  raccoon  tracks  were  seen  in  trails  leading 
from  the  seashore  to  higher  parts  of  the  islands,  but  the  animals 
usually  passed  our  traps  without  paying  the  slightest  attention  to  the 
bait.  They  were  semi-diurnal  in  habits  and  several  were  seen  in 
the  woods  in  broad  daylight.  One  afternoon  one  was  seen  crossing 
the  bed  of  a  dry  wash  near  the  northern  end  of  Maria  Madre,  and 
instead  of  trying  to  escape  through  the  woods  it  climbed  a  wild-fig 
tree  on  the  bank  and  stood  looking  down  from  a  horizontal  branch 
until  shot. 
Zalophus  californianus  (Lesson).  Sea  Lion. 

A  large  seal  or  sea  lion,  called  '  lobo  marine'  or  sea  wolf  by  the  Mexi- 
cans, was  reported  to  occur  at  several  places  on  the  rocky  shores  of 
Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria  Cleofa.    We  first  heard  of  them  before 
13950— No. 


18  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

leaving  San  Bias  and  again  upon  reaching  the  islands.  It  was  evident 
that  the  sea  lions  had  been  hunted  for  sport  by  previous  visitors  until 
they  had  become  comparatively  scarce  and  are  now  in  a  fair  way  to 
become  extinct.  After  learning  the  location  of  the  most  frequented 
places  on  both  islands,  we  visited  them  under  the  guidance  of  a  tortoise- 
shell  hunter  who  was  very  familiar  with  the  shore,  but  we  saw  only  a 
single  sea  lion.  It  was  on  a  rocky  islet  off  the  shore  of  Maria  Cleofa, 
and  took  to  the  water  and  disappeared  before  we  could  get  a  shot. 
Our  guide  said  that  sometimes  the  sea  lions  leave  the  islands  for  a  few 
days,  and  this  may  account  for  the  failure  to  find  them  about  their 
usual  haunts.  The  consensus  of  opinion  among  the  residents  of  Maria 
Madre  was  that  these  animals  are  now  very  scarce.  Formerly  they 
were  found  in  many  places;  but  at  present  a  rocky  point  on  the  north- 
west side  and  a  jutting  reef  on  the  south  side  of  Maria  Magdalena 
and  some  islets  west  of  Maria  Cleofa  are  the  only  landing  places  used. 

It  is  possible  that  the  Guadalupe  Island  fur  seal   (Arctocepltalus 
townsendi  Merriam)  may  also  occur  at  times  about  the  islands. 
Rhogeessa  parvula  H.  Allen.    Tres  Marias  Rhogei-ssa. 

Ehogeessa  parvula  H.  Allen.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1866,  p.  285.    Type  from 
the  Tres  Marias. 

These  little  bats  were  rather  common  on  Maria  Madre,  where  they 
live  in  the  forest  and  fly  at  dusk  along  the  trails  and  about  small  open 
places.  At  times  they  appear  in  such  situations  in  broad  day.  Two 
were  killed  while  flying  up  and  down  a  trail  in  the  brilliant  sunshine  in 
the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  and  I  saw  one  hawking  for  insects  among 
the  tree  tops  along  a  trail  two  hours  before  sunset.  As  a  rule,  however, 
they  only  come  out  when  it  is  too  dark  for  one  to  see  more  than  an 
indistinct  form  as  they  flit  about  among  the  trees.  A  few  were  also 
seen  on  Maria  Magdalena. 
Myotis  nigricans  (Maximilian).  Maximilian's  Black  Bat. 

According  to  Mr.  Oldfield  Thomas,  a  specimen  of  this  bat  was  taken 
on  the  Tres  Marias  by  Mr.  Forrer.1    We  took  none,  and  they  probably 
occur  on  the  island  only  as  stragglers. 
Otopterus  niexicanus  (Saussure).     Big-eared  Bat. 

A  colony  of  over  a  hundred  big-eared  bats  was  living  in  an  old  ware- 
house at  the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre,  and  others  were  found  in  sev- 
eral caves  situated  in  various  parts  of  the  island.  The  warehouse  where 
these  bats  were  found  had  a  large  open  window  and  wide  cracks,  so 
that  it  was  quite  light  inside,  yet  they  were  found  hanging  from  the 
ceiling  and  roof,  in  plain  view,  and  evidently  had  lived  there  a  long 
time.  The  specimens  were  mostly  females  heavy  with  young. 
Glossophaga  mutica  Merriam.  Tres  Marias  Glossophaga. 

Glossopliaga  mutica  Merriam.     Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  pp.  18-19,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1898.    Type  from  Maria  Madre  Island. 

This  was  by  far  the  most  numerous  bat  on  Maria  Madre,  where  it  was 
found  in  every  cave  sufficiently  deep  to  be  dark.    One  cave  was  among 

1  Biologia  Central!- Americana,  Mammalia,  206,  1881  (under  Fespertilio  nigricans). 


MAMMALS   OF   THE   TRES   MARIAS    ISLANDS.  19 

some  huge  projecting  rocks  lying  at  the  water's  edge,  near  the  settle- 
ment. Many  of  the  females  collected  contained  large  embryos.  These 
bats  were  feeding  on  the  fruit  of  the  wild  fig. 

As  surmised  by  Dr.  Merriam,1  the  record  of  Chceronycteris  mexicana 
from  these  islands,  given  by  Mr.  Thomas  in  the  Biologia,  proves  to  be 
referable  to  the  present  species.  In  reply  to  a  letter  of  inquiry,  Mr. 
Thomas  states  that  he  discovered  the  mistake  in  identification  too  late 
to  correct  it  in  the  Biologia,  and  agrees  with  Dr.  Merriam  in  referring 
his  specimen  to  G.  mutica. 

Lasiurus  borealis  mexicamis  (Saussure).     Mexican  Red  Bat. 

Forrer  added  this  species  to  the  fauna  of  the  Tres  Marias  as  recorded 
by  Mr.  Thomas.3  We  did  not  see  any  red  bats,  and  I  doubt  their  being 
found  on  the  islands  except  as  stragglers  from  the  mainland.  Bats 
are  such  wide  ranging  animals  it  is  to  be  expected  that  several  addi- 
tional species  will  eventually  be  found  to  occur  on  the  islands. 

?  Phocaena  commimis  (Lesson).     Common  Porpoise. 

Porpoises  supposed  to  belong  to  this  species  were  common  around 
the  shores  of  the  Tres  Marias  and  also  in  bays  and  mouths  of 
streams  or  lagoons  along  the  coast  of  the  mainland.  They  were  always 
seen  in  the  belt  of  shallow  discolored  water  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  shore.  As  soon  as  blue  water,  with  a  depth  of  over  40  fathoms, 
was  reached,  the  other  porpoise  (Prodelphinus  longirostris)  was  encoun- 
tered. The  common  porpoise  was  seen  in  schools  of  10  to  30  or  40  indi- 
viduals swimming  in  loose  order.  At  Maria  Madre  they  came  into  the 
shallow  bay  in  front  of  the  settlement  in  the  early  morning  and  followed 
close  along  shore. 
Prodelphinus  longirostris  (Gray).  Long-nosed  Porpoise. 

In  the  blue  water  between  the  mainland  and  the  islands  these  por- 
poises were  very  abundant  in  schools  of  from  100  to  200  individuals. 
They  are  much  slenderer  and  more  graceful  animals  than  the  preceding 
species.  While  swimming  about  their  feeding  places  at  sea  they  were 
accompanied  by  swarms  of  terns,  gaunets,  and  shearwaters.  On  one 
occasion,  while  crossing  to  the  islands,  a  school  of  about  200  porpoises 
came  directly  toward  us  and  passed  under  and  on  all  sides  of  the  boat. 
While  they  were  passing,  the  water  was  broken  into  foam  on  every 
hand  by  their  glistening  black  bodies,  and  overhead  swarmed  a  shriek- 
ing crowd  of  sea  birds.  Mr.  Goldman  made  a  fortunate  rifle  shot  and 
killed  two  of  them,  but  one  sank  before  it  could  be  harpooned. 

'Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  pp.  13-19,  footnote,  January,  1898. 
8  Biologia  Ceutrali-Americaua,  Mamm.,  p.  205,  footnote. 


BIRDS  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS. 

By  E.  W.  NELSON. 

The  present  paper  is  based  mainly  upon  the  birds  found  on  the  Tres 
Marias,  but  for  the  sake  of  completeness  the  results  of  our  work  on 
Isabel  Island  have  also  been  introduced.1  The  situation  of  Isabel 
Island  between  the  mainland  and  the  Tres  Marias  renders  its  bird  life 
of  peculiar  interest  in  the  present  connection.  Mr.  Xantus  sent  speci- 
mens of  birds  to  the  National  Museum  labeled  'Tres  Marias,  1861,' 
but  only  one  of  these  can  be  an  authentic  island  species,  and  it  seems 
almost  certain  that  Xantus  did  not  visit  the  islands. 

Colonel  Grayson's  notes  on  his  three  visits  to  the  group  and  his 
trip  to  Isabel  Island  were  published  by  George  N.  Lawrence  in  the 
'Proceedings'  and  'Memoirs  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,' 
while  the  descriptions  of  new  birds  in  his  collections  appeared  in  various 
publications  and  are  mentioned  in  the  bibliography  (see  pp.  93-94). 
Gray  sou  constantly  refers  to  the  'Tres  Marias  Islands,' but  the  internal 
evidence  of  his  writings,  in  addition  to  the  information  given  me  by  the 
inhabitants,  indicates  that  all  of  his  work  was  done  on  Maria  Madre. 

Mr.  A.  Forrer  visited  Maria  Madre  in  1881,  but  the  publication  of 
Vireo  flavoviridis  forreri  by  Von  Madarasz  and  a  few  notes  in  the 
'Biologia  Centrali- Americana'  and  in  some  of  the  British  Museum 
Catalogues  are  all  we  know  of  his  work  there. 

As  already  stated  in  the  general  introduction,  our  work  was  done  on 
Isabel  Island  on  April  22  and  23,  on  Maria  Madrc  from  May  2  to  25, 
and  six  days  were  spent  working  about  Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria 
Cleofa.  It  is  quite  certain  that  the  bird  fauna  of  Maria  Madre  is 
now  fairly  well  known,  and  it  will  be  advisable  for  anyone  visiting  this 
group  in  the  future  to  give  attention  chiefly  to  the  two  smaller  islands. 
It  is  certain  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  birds  found  on  Maria  Madre 
occur  also  on  Maria  Magdalena,  but  some  of  the  species  living  in  the 
dense  forest  at  higher  altitudes  on  these  islands  probably  do  not  occur 
in  the  more  scanty  forest  of  Maria  Cleofa. 

At  present  83  species  and  subspecies  of  birds  are  known  from  the 
Tres  Marias,  and  further  observations  will,  no  doubt,  add  to  the  list 
various  stragglers  from  the  mainland.  The  bird  fauna  may  be  grouped 
under  the  following  headings :  Resident  land  birds,  3G  species  or  sub- 

1  The  notes  iu  the  following  pages  refer  to  Isabel  Island  only  when  BO  stated. 


22  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

species.  Visitant  land  birds,  26  species  or  subspecies.  Eesident  water 
fowl,  13  species.  Visitant  water  fowl,  8  species. 

Of  the  36  resident  species  or  subspecies  of  land  birds  all  but  5  were 
observed  by  Colonel  Grayson.  These  exceptions  are:  Melopelia  leucop- 
tera,  Tyrannus  melancliolicus  couchi,  Ornithion  imberbe,  Vireo  flavoviridis 
forreri,  and  Thryothorus  lawrencii  magdalence. 

Twenty-four  of  the  36  resident  land  birds  are  specifically  or  subspe- 
cifically  distinct  from  their  mainland  representatives.  Of  this  number 
12  were  described  from  Grayson's  collections,  1  from  Ferrer's,  and  11 
from  our  own.  A  study  of  our  collections  from  the  islands,  and  near 
San  Bias  on  the  mainland,  brings  out  the  interesting  fact  that  several 
species  from  the  latter  district  show  a  decided  approach  to  their  island 
representatives.  This  is  very  marked  in  Compsothlypis  which  is  very 
nearly  the  same  at  San  Bias  as  on  the  islands.  The  Polyborus  and 
Platypsaris  from  that  locality  seem  to  be  intermediate  between  the 
island  races  and  the  birds  of  the  mainland.  Specimens  of  Thryothorus 
felix  from  the  same  part  of  the  coast  are  much  nearer  T.  lawrencii  than 
they  are  to  typical  T.  felix. 

Among  the  24  species  or  subspecies  of  land  birds  peculiar  to  the 
islands  15  are  larger  than  their  relatives  of  the  nearest  mainland. 
These  are  Columbaf.  madrensis,  Leptotila  capitalis,  Psittacula  insularis, 
Dryobates  s.  graysoni,  Nyctidromus  a.  insularis,  Amazilia  graysoni, 
Icterus  graysoni,  Cardinalis  c.  maricc,  Piranga  b.  flammea,  Vireo  /. 
forreri,  Vireo  h.  sordidus,  Compsothlypis  insularis,  Granatellusfrancesca;, 
Thryothorus  lawrencii  and  Merula  graysoni. 

Six  of  the  island  birds  average  smaller  than  their  mainland  repre- 
sentatives. These  are  Polyborus  c.  pallidus,  lache  lawrencei,  Platyp- 
saris a.  insularis,  Myiopagis  p.  minimus,  Melanotis  c.  longirostris,  and 
Trogon  a.  goldmani.  The  two  first  named  are  generally  smaller,  but 
Platypsaris  a.  insular  is  has  a  longer  tarsus,  Myiopagis  p.  minimus  a 
longer  bill  and  tarsus,  Melanotis  c.  longirostris  a  longer  bill,  and  Trogon 
a.  goldmani  a  longer  bill  and  tarsus. 

Although  Compsothlypis  insularis  also  occurs  in  a  limited  area  along 
the  coast,  I  have  considered  it  as  a  typical  island  species.  The 
difference  in  size  between  island  birds  and  their  mainland  repre- 
sentatives varies  greatly,  being  slight  in  some  and  very  well  marked 
in  others.  Nyctidromus  a.  insularis  is  a  larger  bird  than  albicollis 
proper,  but  has  a  shorter  bill  and  tarsus.  Among  the  birds  peculiar 
to  the  islands  Thryothorus  laicrencii  magdalence  and  Myadestes  o.  insu- 
laris are  almost  the  only  ones  which  do  not  show  more  or  less  well- 
defined  differences  in  size  from  their  nearest  mainland  relative;  a  series 
of  the  first  named,  however,  may  show  that  it  also  differs. 

One  of  the  most  puzzling  features  of  the  fauna  of  these  islands  is 
the  absence  of  various  land  birds  found  on  the  adjacent  mainland. 
Although  the  physical  conditions  appear  so  much  like  those  of  the 
mainland,  yet  some  change  must  have  occurred  to  upset  nature's  fine 
balance  and  render  these  isolated  areas  unsuitable  for  many  species. 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES   MARIAS    ISLANDS.  23 

The  death  by  starvation  of  the  Louisiana  Tanagers  on  Maria  Madre 
Island  (p.  52)  is  an  example  of  the  manner  in  which  the  island  fauna 
may  be  maintained  in  its  present  state.  As  the  climatic  conditions  on 
the  islands  and  on  the  mainland  are  very  similar  and  the  vegetation 
nearly  alike,  this  paucity  of  species  presents  one  of  the  curious  prob- 
lems of  distribution. 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  an  equal  area  of  similar  country  on  the 
mainland,  near  San  Bias,  where  so  few  species  of  land  birds  could  be 
found.  The  only  reasonable  explanation  seems  to  be  the  scarcity  of 
water  and  the  long,  dry  season,  which  combine  to  reduce  the  food  sup- 
ply and  perhaps  reuder  the  country  unsuited  to  some  species.  It  was 
very  surprising  to  find  a  total  absence  on  the  islands  of  such  com- 
mon and  widely  spread  mainland  genera  as  Conurus,  Momotus,  Piaya, 
Campephilus,  Melanerpes,  Myiozetetes,  Cissolopha,  Cyanospiza,  Pipilo, 
Pyrgisoma,  Saltator,  and  others.  The  absence  of  Pipilo  is  especially 
unexpected,  for  this  genus  is  represented  on  Socorro  Island,  which 
lies  very  much  farther  at  sea  off  the  same  part  of  the  coast. 

ANNOTATED   LIST   OF  SPECIES. 

?  Brachyrhamphus  brevirostris  (Vigors.)     Short-billed  Murrelet. 

Brachyrhamphus  brevirostris  was  described  from  San  Bias  and  B. 
hypoleucus  from  Cape  St.  Lucas.  Colonel  Graysou  mentions  having  seen 
'guillemots'  at  Isabel  Island  (Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  318, 
1874)  and  off  the  Tres  Marias  group  (Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV, 
p.  288,  1871).  This  led  me  to  anticipate  finding  at  least  one  of  the 
species  there,  and  it  is  with  some  disappointment  that  I  have  to  record 
our  failure  to  see  either  species  about  the  islands,  although  I  watched 
for  them  constantly.  From  this  experience  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
they  breed  only  along  the  coast  of  Lower  California,  and  visit  these 
islands  sporadically. 
Larus  argentatus  smithsonianus  Cones.  American  Herring  Gull. 

A  single  immature  specimen  was  taken  on  San  Juanito  Island  May 
22,  and  a  few  others  were  seen.  These  birds  were  flying  back  and  forth 
along  a  strip  of  beach  where  a  large  colony  of  blue  footed  gannets 
were  breeding,  and  the  gulls  probably  had  an  eye  on  the  nesting 
ground  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  any  unprotected  eggs.  They  were 
noted  singly  a  few  times  along  the  shores  of  the  Tres  Marias  and  at 
Isabel  Island.  No  fully  adult  individuals  were  seen. 

Larus  heermanni  Cassin.     Heermann's  Gull.  * 

On  April  23  a  fine  adult  bird  of  this  species  was  shot  on  the  shore  of 
Isabel  Island.  In  company  with  its  mate  it  had  harried  a  blue-footed 
gannet  into  disgorging  a  number  of  small  fish  upon  a  rock  at  the  edge 
of  the  water,  and  was  picking  up  the  spoils  by  a  series  of  little  down- 
ward swoops  and  hoverings.  The  gannet  had  shuffled  into  the  water 
and  was  making  off,  with  backward  glances  at  its  tormentor,  when  I 
drew  near.  These  gulls  are  bold  and  noisy  aggressors  when  they  wish 


24  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

to  take  advantage  of  the  gannets,  and  about  the  breeding  places  of  the 
latter  they  feed  largely  at  the  public  expense.  But  few  of  them  were 
seen  about  the  islands — two  or  three  pairs  at  Isabel  and  half  a  dozen 
pairs  about  the  Tres  Marias.  A  nest,  which  had  been  occupied  earlier 
in  the  season,  was  seen  on  the  ledge  of  a  rocky  islet  off  the  shore  of 
Maria  Oleofa  May  30,  and  full  grown  young  of  the  year  were  also  seen 
on  the  rocks. 

Sterna  maxima  Boddaert.     Royal  Tern. 

None  were  seen  at  Isabel  Island,  although  they  were  not  uncommon 
during  April  along  the  mainland  coast.  During  May  they  were  seen 
in  small  parties  about  the  shores  of  all  the  Tres  Marias  group,  where 
they  probably  breed  in  very  limited  numbers.  The  only  specimen 
saved  was  taken  May  31  from  a  flock  of  six  which  was  coasting  along 
the  beach  at  Maria  Cleofa. 

Sterna  elegans  Gambel.     Elegant  Tern. 

Sterna  galericulata  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  317  (1874). 

Colonel  Graysoii  found  these  terns  on  Isabel  Island,  but  none  were 
seen  by  us. 

Sterna  fuliginosa  crissalis  (Lawr.).     Pacific  Sooty  Tern. 

Haliplana  fuliginosa  var.  crissalis  Lawr.  (ex  Baird  MS.),  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  XIV,  pp.  285,  301,  June,  1871;  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  318, 
1874. 

These  handsome  terns  are  common  about  Isabel  Island  where  Colo- 
nel Grayson  found  them  breeding.  My  observations  from  the  last  of 
April  to  the  first  of  June  led  me  to  believe  that  at  this  season  Isabel 
Island  is  their  central  roosting  point.  During  the  week  we  were  cruis- 
ing about  Isabel  and  the  Tres  Marias  islands  many  flocks  were  seen. 
From  about  noon  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  or  later  the  flocks 
were  generally  flying  directly  toward  Isabel  at  an  altitude  of  from 
50  to  200  yards  above  the  water.  This  was  noted  also  near  the  islands, 
while  we  were  crossing  the  straits  between  the  Tres  Marias,  and  off 
the  mainland  near  San  Bias.  Many  of  the  birds  were  perched 
along  the  top  of  an  inaccessible  rock  just  off  Isabel,  and  were  also 
seen  alighting  on  the  cliffs  of  the  northern  and  northeastern  side  of 
the  island,  but  the  boat  was  too  unwieldy  for  us  to  venture  near  enough 
to  closely  examine  these  haunts.  The  birds  have  a  peculiar  shrill 
cry  which  they  often  utter  while  feeding  and  when  flying  about  at 
night.  The  night  before  we  landed  on  Isabel  Island  it  was  necessary 
to  anchor  about  midway  between  the  island  and  the  shore.  The  wind 
blew  strongly  in  the  afternoon  but  fell  at  sunset,  a  dead  calm  ensued, 
and  heavy  clouds  overspread  the  sky.  During  the  day  only  a  few 
sooty  terns  had  been  seen,  but  from  about  9  p.  m.  until  near  daybreak 
they  were  evidently  much  more  numerous,  for  their  cries  were  heard  at 
short  intervals.  Several  times  the  notes  were  uttered  directly  overhead 
and  the  birds  seemed  to  be  scarcely  higher  than  the  top  of  the  mastT 
where  they  apparently  paused  and  hovered  while  they  examined  the 


BIRDS   OF   THE    TRES   MA.RIAS   ISLANDS.  25 

boat  with  great  curiosity.  As  they  were  heard  every  night  while  we 
were  at  sea,  it  is  evident  that  they  were  both  diurnal  and  nocturnal 
in  habits. 

They  feed  well  out  at  sea,  and  were  not  found  anywhere  along  shore, 
except  when  they  came  to  their  roosting  place  on  Isabel  Island.  There 
were  no  signs  of  their  roosting  about  the  Tres  Marias,  although  they 
may  roost  on  some  of  the  outlying  rocky  islets.  Grayson  found 
them  in  small  numbers  farther  west,  about  the  Eevillagigedo  Islands. 
During  our  trip  to  the  Tres  Marias  many  schools  of  large  fish  were 
encountered  swimming  close  to  the  surface  and  constantly  breaking, 
often  with  such  force  and  rapidity  that  tbe  water  boiled  and  foamed 
over  considerable  areas.  These  schools  of  fish  were  commonly  acconi. 
pauied  by  flocks  of  sooty  terns  and  gannets,  which  appeared  to  be 
animated  by  the  wildest  excitement.  The  terns  hovered  over  the 
foaming  sea,  uttering  shrill  cries  and  darting  down  into  the  water,  evi- 
dently after  food;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  turmoil  the  blue-footed  gau- 
nets  swam  about,  beating  the  water  with  their  wings  and  adding  to  the 
noise  made  by  the  terns  and  leaping  fish.  While  on  Maria  Madre 
I  saw  a  flock  of  terns  some  distance  oft'  shore,  and  taking  a  canoe, 
managed  to  get  out  to  them,  and  directly  in  the  course  of  tbe 
school  of  fish  they  were  accompanying.  Letting  the  boat  drift,  I 
stood  up  and  watched  the  swarm  go  by.  Thousands  of  large  fish  and 
hundreds  of  terns  and  ganuets  passed  the  boat  on  every  side,  amid  loud 
cries  from  the  terns,  a  rushing  sound  from  the  fish  and  ganuets,  and  a 
bewildering  complexity  of  motion  in  sea  and  air  that  was  intensely 
exciting.  This  novel  sight  was  so  interesting  that  I  came  near  losing 
the  chance  to  secure  some  of  the  birds. 

These  terns  were  seen  also  following  schools  of  porpoises  oft7  shore — 
in  the  latter  case  accompanied  by  the  wedge-tailed  shearwater.  In  the 
passage  between  Maria  Magdaleua  and  Maria  Cleofa  a  flock  of  sooty 
terns  was  seen  soaring  in  wide  circles  high  overhead  and  finally  start- 
ing off  for  their  roosting  place  on  Isabel  Island. 

The  'variety  crissalisj  named  in  manuscript  by  Professor  Baird  and 
published  by  Mr.  Lawrence,  was  characterized  as  "having  the  under 
tail  coverts  tinged  with  ashy,  instead  of  being  pure  white."  A  series 
of  17  specimens  from  the  west  coast  of  Mexico,  and  from  widely  scat- 
tered islands  of  the  Pacific  and  Indian  oceans,  agree  in  having  the 
posterior  part  of  flanks,  under  wing  coverts,  and  entire  crissum  dis- 
tinctly ashy,  not  a  single  individual  being  white  on  these  parts,  as  is 
commonly  the  case  with  birds  from  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  of 
North  America.  Unfortunately  the  series  of  Atlantic  birds  at  hand 
is  very  small,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  crissalis  is  a  valid  subspe- 
cies. Birds  from  the  west  coast  of  Mexico,  the  Galapagos  Islands, 
and  Hawaii  agree  in  having  an  average  shorter  bill  and  tail  than 
those  from  elsewhere.  Specimens  from  the  Indian  Ocean  have  even 
a  longer  bill  and  tail  than  thos*  from  the  Atlantic,  but  are  ashy  below. 


26 


NORTH   AMERICAN   FAUNA. 


like  those  from  western  Mexico.  Specimens  from  Ascension  Island,  off 
the  west  coast  of  Africa,  also  have  a  light  ashy  shade  on  the  lower 
tail  coverts. 

The  following  average  measurements  show  the  sizes  of  these  birds 
from  various  parts  of  their  range : 

Table  of  measurements  of  Sterna  fuliginosus  and  Sterna  f.  crissalis.* 


Name. 

Locality. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 
men. 

Tarsus. 

Sterna  fuliginosus  .  . 

East   coast  of  North  America  and 

7 

288.1 

151 

42.8 

2X5 

west  coast  of  Africa. 

Sterna    fuliginosus 

West  coast  of  Mexico,  Hawaii,  and 

10 

288.6 

143.  5 

41.8 

23.6 

crissalis. 

Galapagos  Islands. 

Sterna    fuligiuosns 

Krusen  stern  Islands  (west  of  Hawaii)  . 

2 

292.5 

203.5 

39.5 

24.2 

crissalis. 

Sterna    fuliginosus 

Glorioso  Island  (Indian  Ocean)  

3 

292.6 

192 

43.3 

23.8 

crissalis. 

*  All  measurements  are  in  millimeters. 

In  the  foregoing  measurements  the  length  of  the  tail  is  unreliable, 
owing  to  its  variability,  on  account  of  wear  and  other  causes. 

Anous  stolidus  ridgwayi  Anthony.     Pacific  Noddy  Tern. 

Anous  stolidus  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  318,  1874. 
Anous  stolidus  ridgwayi  Anthony,  Auk,  XII,  p.  36,  1898. 

Common  the  last  of  April  on  Isabel  Island,  and  a  few  seen  off  the 
Tres  Marias  during  May.  Between  San  Bias  and  the  islands  a 
number  of  these  birds  were  seen.  We  usually  saw  one  or  two  indi- 
viduals at  a  time,  and  did  not  find  them  in  flocks  anywhere  except 
when  congregated  on  the  rocks  at  their  roosting  places.  At  sea  they 
usually  flew  close  along  the  surface  of  the  waves  with  long,  graceful 
wing  strokes.  From  their  dark  color  and  habit  of  keeping  close  to  the 
water  they  were  several  times  mistaken  for  black  petrels. 

They  were  found  in  considerable  numbers  on  the  ragged  faces  of 
cliffs  and  rocks  along  the  northeastern  point  of  Isabel  Island,  and  were 
very  unsuspicious,  permitting  us  to  approach  quite  near  in  the  boat. 
While  perched  on  the  black  lava  cliffs,  their  dark  color  blended  so 
closely  with  the  background  that  it  was  very  difficult  to  distinguish 
them,  even  when  within  fair  gunshot.  The  day  we  left  the  island  we 
visited  their  resting  place  and  fired  a  dozen  or  more  shots  while  they 
were  on  the  rocks  or  flying  about,  but  the  noise  of  the  reports  did  not 
seem  to  give  them  much  alarm.  They  would  circle  out  a  short  dis- 
tance, and,  after  hovering  for  a  few  moments  over  their  killed  or 
wounded  companions  floating  in  the  water,  would  return  to  the  same 
part  of  the  cliff  from  which  they  had  just  been  startled.  They  were 
not  heard  to  utter  any  notes,  and  the  silence  with  which  they  would 
suddenly  appear  out  of  the  cliff  and  then  return  and  vanish  again  in 
its  gloomy  face  produced  an  uncanny  effect. 


BIRDS    OF   THE    TRES    MARIAS   ISLANDS.  27 

Colonel  Grayson  found  them  nesting  on  the  north  end  of  Isabel 
Island  in  April,  1869,  and  states  that  they  were  breeding  in  communi- 
ties on  shelving  rocks  beneath  overhanging  cliffs.  The  nests  were 
placed  close  together,  but  were  inaccessible.  A  single  egg  was  pro- 
cured, however,  which  was  white,  with  scattering  brownish  blotches, 
most  numerous  about  the  larger  end.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  tern 
which  Colonel  Grayson  reports  as  replacing  the  sooty  tern  on  the 
Revillagigedo  Islands,  and  which  he  described  as  being  black,  wit'a  a 
hoary  forehead. 

Puffinus  cuneatus  Salvin.     Wedge-tailed  Shearwater. 

Puffinus  cuneatus  Salvin,  Ibis,  5th  ser.,  VI,  p.  353,  July,  1888. 
Fttffinus  knudseni  Stejn.,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  XI,  p.  93,  Nov.  8, 1888. 

During  our  trip  to  and  from  the  islands  we  saw  100  or  200  wedge- 
tailed  shearwaters.  They  were  usually  seen  singly  skimming  along  over 
the  sea,  at  an  elevation  of  a  few  yards,  making  widely  sweeping  circuits 
and  pausing  occasionally  to  pick  up  bits  of  food.  When  about  midway 
between  Isabel  Island  and  the  Tres  Marias  we  encountered  several 
schools  of  small  porpoises  of  150  or  more  individuals,  which  traveled  in 
close  array,  frequently  gamboling  about  and  playfully  leaping  high  in 
the  air.  A  swarm  of  sooty  terns  followed  the  porpoises,  and  twice 
when  they  passed  near  us  I  saw  considerable  numbers  of  these  shear- 
waters among  the  terns.  Judging  from  the  numbers,  they  must  be 
rather  common  in  these  waters,  but  none  were  seen  near  the  islands. 

This  species  was  first  described  from  specimens  taken  on  the  Kru- 
senstern  Islands,  in  the  Marshall  Group,  and  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  made 
the  first  record  of  its  occurrence  on  the  American  side  of  the  Pacific, 
at  the  Revillagigedo  Islands,  during  the  summer  of  1897  (Auk,  XV, 
Jan.,  1898,  p.  39).  As  it  is  a  species  new  1o  North  America,  a  detailed 
description  of  our  specimen  is  given,  in  order  to  facilitate  identification 
in  case  other  examples  should  be  taken. 

Description.— No.  156678,  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Dept,  of  Agriculture  Coll. 
Ad.  $  ,  off  Maria  Madre  Island,  May  2, 1897.  Collected  by  E.  W.  Nel- 
son and  E.  A.  Goldman. 

Top  and  sides  of  head  and  neck  grayish-brown ;  forehead,  lores,  and 
space  from  latter  area  back  beneath  eyes  and  along  sides  of  neck  paler 
or  more  ashy,  thus  edging  the  darker  area  of  the  crown  and  upper  neck 
with  lighter.  Back,  including  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts,  mainly  dark 
brown,  but  mixed  with  numerous  feathers  of  a  decidedly  grayish,  almost 
ashy,  shade.  These  latter  feathers  undoubtedly  indicate  the  color  of 
dorsal  surface  in  fresh-plumaged  birds.  Wings  and  tail  blackish-brown. 
Entire  lower  surface  of  body  white,  shaded  with  dingy  ashy,  darkest 
ou  sides  and  palest  along  median  portion.  Under  tail  coverts  mixed 
dark  brown  and  grayish-brown.  Border  of  the  wing  along  under  side 
brown  or  grayish- brown;  under  coverts  white  with  a  little  necking 
of  pale  gray  on  some  feathers.  In  the  flesh  this  specimen  had  a  horn- 
blue  bill  with  flesh-colored  feet  and  tarsi. 


28  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

Dimensions.— Wing,  293;  tail,  135  (length  of  middle  pair  of  tail  feath- 
ers beyond  lateral  pair,  47);  culmen,  42;  tarsus,  50;  middle  toe,  with 
claw,  59. 

Habitat. — The  range  of  this  species  is  now  known  to  extend  across 
the  middle  North  Pacific  from  Japan  to  the  west  coast  of  Mexico. 

Oceanodroma  melania  (Bonap.).     Black  Petrel. 

Common  between  Isabel  and  the  Tres  Marias.  Black  petrels  were 
by  far  the  most  numerous  of  the  petrels  seen,  and  outnumbered  all  the 
others  two  to  one.  Three,  and  possibly  four,  other  species  were  seen 
on  the  way  to  and  from  the  islands,  but  this  was  the  only  one  secured. 
They  circled  about  in  all  directions,  sometimes  coming  very  near,  but 
nothing  peculiar  in  their  habits  was  observed.  They  were  quick  to 
see  little  fragments  of  fat  thrown  overboard  while  we  were  skinning 
other  waterfowl,  and  when  the  morsels  were  small  enough  ate  them 
greedily. 
Phaethon  aethereus  Linn.  Red-billed  Tropic  Bird. 

Tropic  birds  are  readily  distinguished  on  the  wing  by  their  graceful 
ternlike  flight  and  long  filamentous  tail  feathers.  Many  of  them  breed 
on  Isabel  Island  and  in  suitable  places  on  rocky  islets  near  San  Bias 
and  about  the  Tres  Marias.  The  last  of  April  fresh  eggs  and  nearly 
grown  young  were  found  on  Isabel,  and  by  the  last  of  May  the  young 
on  the  Tres  Marias  had  taken  wing  and  few  were  to  be  seen,  although 
we  were  told  by  the  tortoise  shell  hunters  that  many  breed  there  earlier 
in  the  season. 

Soon  after  landing  on  Isabel,  a  tropic  bird  was  found  sitting  on  its  sol- 
itary egg  at  the  end  of  a  little  hole  in  the  rock  close  to  the  beach.  The 
hole  was  only  about  15  or  18  inches  across  and  about  3  feet  deep,  so  that 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  taking  the  bird  by  hand  after  a  little  maneu- 
vering to  avoid  its  sharp  beak.  During  a  stay  of  about  twenty-four 
hours  on  this  island  at  least  20  nests  containing  eggs  or  young  were 
examined.  A  single  egg  is  laid  directly  on  the  rough  rock  or  loose 
dirt  forming  the  floor  of  the  nesting  site,  which  is  always  located  under 
the  shelter  of  over  arching  rock,  but  varies  greatly  in  situation.  The 
inner  ends  of  holes  in  cliffs  facing  the  sea  were  favorite  places,  but  as 
the  number  of  such  situations  was  limited,  the  birds  were  forced  to 
utilize  small  caves  and  even  rock  shelters.  In  one  locality  five  or  six 
nests  were  placed  on  loose  earth  at  the  bottom  of  rock  shelters  so  situ- 
ated that  1  could  walk  directly  up  to  them  and  pick  up  the  birds. 
Whenever  a  nest  was  approached  the  parent  screamed  and  fought 
viciously,  ruffled  its  feathers  and  looked  very  fierce,  but  made  no  attempt 
to  escape.  They  protested  with  beak  and  voice  when  pushed  about, 
but  as  soon  as  I  went  away  a  few  yards  they  would  shuffle  back  to 
resume  their  former  position  over  the  egg.  The  young,  even  when 
quite  small,  were  equally  fierce  in  resenting  any  intrusion.  One  nest 
was  found  on  the  beach  under  the  edge  of  some  great  rocks  that  had 
fallen  from  the  adjacent  cliff'.  It  was  only  5  or  C  feet  above  high  tide 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  29 

and  would  have  been  overlooked  but  for  the  angry  cries  of  the  old 
bird  when  she  heard  me  walking  over  the  roof  of  her  habitation.  "At, 
sunrise  the  old  birds  were  found  sitting  side  by  side  at  the  mouths  of 
their  nesting  places  waiting  to  enjoy  the  first  rays  of  sunlight.  Half 
an  hour  later  one  of  each  pair  started  out  to  sea  while  the  other  resumed 
its  place  on  the  nest.  When  disturbed  on  the  nest  their  cries  are  very 
shrill  and  strident,  consisting  of  a  series  of  short,  harsh,  clicking  or 
rattling  sounds  something  like  the  noise  of  an  old-fashioned  watch- 
man's rattle.  The  young  are  covered  at  first  with  fluffy  white  down. 
Before  they  are  one-third  grown  the  first  plumage  begins  to  appear, 
and  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  adults,  except  that  the  black  barring 
on  the  back  is  broader. 

Sula  websteri  Rothschild.    Webster's  Booby. 

Sula  bassana  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  p.  302,  1871. 

Sula  websteri  Rothschild,  Bull.  Brit.  Orn.  Club,  VII,  No.  LIV,  p.  LII,  1898. 

This  booby  is  no  doubt  the  Sula  bassana  reported  from  Isabel  Island 
by  Grayson  but  not  seen  by  us.  Mr.  Anthony  found  it  the  most  abun- 
dant species  breeding  on  the  Revillagigedo  Islands  during  the  summer 
of  1898. 

Sula  brewsteri  Goss.     Brewster's  Booby. 
Sula  brewsteri  Goss,  Auk  V,  p.  242, 1888. 

Brewster's  boobies  were  very  numerous  on  a  small  hill  at  one  side 
of  the  little  bay  where  we  lauded  on  Isabel  Island  April  22,  but  there 
were  no  signs  of  their  breeding.  They  came  in  from  sea  during  the 
first  half  of  the  afternoon  and  sat  about  on  rocky  parts  of  the  shore 
until  nightfall.  Scattered  individuals  were  also  seen  about  the  ledges 
and  tops  of  the  cliffs  facing  the  sea.  T.he  following  morning  at  day- 
break they  were  congregated  on  the  little  hill  already  mentioned  which 
is  probably  their  regular  roosting  place.  About  half  an  hour  after 
sunrise  they  began  to  start  out  to  sea  singly  and  by  twos  and  threes 
until  all  were  off  on  the  day's  fishing  expedition.  A  few  were  seen 
about  the  rocks  just  oft'  San  Bias,  and  were  said  to  breed  on  the  large 
rock  (Piedra  Blanca)  midway  between  Isabel  and  San  Bias.  Only  a 
few  of  these  boobies  were  seen  about  the  Tres  Marias  until  an  islet 
was  visited  off  the  northwest  shore  of  Maria  Cleofa.  This  islet  rises 
from  150  to  200  feet  above  the  sea,  with  cliffs  on  all  sides.  The  sum- 
mit is  mainly  rolling,  with  an  elevated,  sloping  bench  on  one  end  At 
this  time,  May  30,  many  thousands  of  boobies  were  breeding  on  the  bare 
top  of  this  rock.  The  eggs  were  laid  directly  on  the  surface,  with  no 
sign  of  a  nest.  The  sun  was  intensely  hot  and  heated  the  rocks  so  that 
they  were  uncomfortably  warm  to  the  touch.  The  birds  did  not  sit 
upon  the  eggs  during  the  hottest  hours,  but  while  standing  to  avoid 
contact  with  the  heated  rocks  kept  in  such  position  that  the  eggs  or 
young  were  shaded  from  the  sun,  and  thus  had  their  vitality  preserved. 
While  trying  to  secure  photographs  of  this  breeding  ground  a  few  of 
the  old  birds  flew  away  and  it  was  surprising  to  see  how  quickly  the 


30  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

newly  hatched  young  succumbed  to  the  heat  when  the  parents  left  them 
exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  nests  were  spaced  at  intervals  of 
4  or  5  feet,  so  that  the  old  birds  were  safely  out  of  reach  of  one  another. 
Although  so  gregarious  in  their  breeding  habits,  they  appeared  to 
have  but  little  regard  for  one  another.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  sav- 
age way  in  which  the  nest  owners  assisted  intruders  of  their  own  kind 
out  of  their  territory.  While  we  were  walking  among  them  some  of 
the  birds  would  often  waddle  off  to  one  side,  and  in  so  doing  neces- 
sarily trespassed  on  their  neighbors.  The  latter  at  once  raised  a 
hoarse  shrieking  and  set  upon  the  outsiders  with  wicked  thrusts  of 
their  beaks,  which  continued  until  the  victims  took  wiDg  and  escaped. 
We  were  also  subjects  of  this  proprietary  rage,  and  had  our  legs  nipped 
every  now  and  then,  despite  all  efforts  to  walk  circumspectly.  Our 
progress  over  the  breeding  ground  was  accompanied  by  a  wave  of 
hoarse,  nasal  cries  that  sometimes  became  almost  deafening.  Many  of 
the  birds  were  valiant  upholders  of  their  rights  and  sturdily  refused 
to  leave  their  nests,  which  they  defended  vigorously,  all  the  time  utter- 
ing loud  cries  of  rage. 

These  birds  show  very  little  individual  variation  in  color.  As  the 
species  is  not  well  known  the  following  descriptions  are  appended  from 
specimens  taken  on  Isabel  and  Maria  Cleofa. 

Adult  male. — Nearly  entire  head  white,  shading  gradually  on  poste- 
rior portion  into  drab  of  neck  and  then  insensibly  into  dark,  sooty  brown 
of  back.  On  lower  side  of  neck  the  drab  becomes  darkest  at  poste- 
rior border,  where  it  ends  abruptly  against  the  pure  white  of  lower 
parts.  Bill  light  horn  color;  gular  pouch  in  life  livid  blue;  feet  green- 
ish yellow — the  latter  varying  in  intensity. 

Male  in  immature  plumage. — Dorsal  surface  uniform  dark  brown, 
slightly  paler  than  back  of  adult;  entire  lower  surface  still  paler  and 
more  dingy  brown.  Feathers  over  much  of  body,  especially  about 
head,  neck,  and  lower  parts,  narrowly  edged  with  grayish  brown,  giving 
a  faint  wavy  barring.  Bill  bluish  horn  color,  with  darker  shade  of 
same  about  base  and  on  gular  pouch ;  feet  and  tarsi  dull  fleshy  yellow; 
iris  greenish  gray. 

Adult  female. — Head,  neck  all  around,  and  back  sooty  brown ;  ven- 
tral surface  below  neck  white.  Bill  light  horn  color;  a  spot  of  leaden 
bluish  on  lores ;  base  of  bill,  gular  pouch,  feet,  and  tarsi  grayish  yel- 
low; iris  pale  grayish. 

Average  measurements  of  these  birds  from  Isabel  Island  are  as  fol- 
lows: $  (5  specimens),  wing  384.4;  tail  189.6;  culmen93.6;  tarsus  45.4; 
$  (5  specimens),  wing  416.6;  tail  192.8;  culmen  96.6;  tarsus  48.8. 

Nestlings  a  few  days  old  are  covered  with  fluffy  white  down.  A  male 
bird  of  the  previous  year,  which  still  retained  the  immature  plumage, 
was  taken  at  Isabel  on  April  23,  and  several  others  were  seen. 


BIRDS   OF    THE   TRES   MARIAS   ISLANDS.  31 

Sula  nebouxii  MilnerEdwards.     Blue- footed  Booby. 

Sula  pisoator  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  302,  1871;  Lawr., 
Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  316,  1874. 

Sula  nebouxii  Milne-Edwards,  Ann.  Sci.  Nat.,  Paris  (Zool.),  66me  s6r.,  XIII,  Art. 
4,  p.  37,  pi.  14,  1882  (Chile). 

Sula  gossi  Goss  (ex  Ridgway  MS.),  Auk,  V,  p.  241,  July,  1888  (Gulf  of  Calif.). 
Sula  nebouxii  is  the  most  abundant  species  of  booby  occurring  on 
Isabel  and  the  Tres  Marias.  On  April  22  they  were  breeding  abun- 
dantly on  the  beaches  and  on  a  low  flat  area  that  covers  a  part  of  the 
former  island.  They  were  common  on  the  grassy  beach  at  the  landing 
and  thence  back  among  the  scrubby  trees  and  bushes  which  form  a 
scanty  growth  over  the  flat.  They  were  most  numerous  on  the  open 
beach  a  little  above  high-water  mark,  but  dozens  of  them  were  seen 
with  their  eggs  farther  back  among  the  bushes.  Like  the  preceding 
species,  they  fought  and  screamed  savagely  when  approached.  The 
males  usually  flew  away,  but  the  females  remained  to  give  battle  over 
the  nests,  which  were  mere  hollows  in  the  earth,  sand,  or  gravel.  Not 
a  single  young  one  was  seen  in  the  hundreds  of  nests  on  Isabel. 

The  sun  was  excessively  hot  the  morning  of  our  arrival,  and  while 
the  men  were  landing  the  outfit,  ropes  were  fastened  between  the  tops 
of  some  scrubby  trees  close  to  the  beach  and  a  piece  of  canvas  spread 
for  an  awning,  under  which  the  baggage  was  placed.  An  old  booby 
had  her  eggs  in  the  sand  within  3  feet  of  the  edge  of  the  sheltered  area 
and  stood  her  ground  unflinchingly  while  the  men  were  at  work, 
keeping  a  wary  eye  on  their  movements  and  making  vicious  dabs 
whenever  a  leg  came  incautiously  within  reach.  Having  arranged 
camp,  I  went  out  exploring  for  an  hour  or  so  and  returned  with  various 
specimens,  including  the  egg  of  a  tropic  bird,  and  found  that  one  of  the 
boatmen  had  driven  off  the  booby  and  thrown  away  her  eggs.  Wish- 
ing to  test  the  bird's  discrimination,  I  placed  the  reddish-brown  egg  of 
the  tropic  bird  in  the  hollow  where  the  two  greenish- white  eggs  of  the 
booby  had  been,  and  sitting  under  the  awning  began  to  prepare 
specimens.  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  owner  of  the  despoiled 
nest  returned  and  alighted  10  or  15  steps  away  near  another  deserted 
nest,  gave  a  look  at  the  eggs  in  it,  walked  to  still  another,  looked  at  it, 
and  then  proceeded  directly  to  her  own  nest  and  stopped.  She  looked 
about  and  then  down  at  the  nest.  The  presence  of  the  single 
reddish- colored  egg  appeared  to  surprise  her;  she  looked  at  it  with 
one  eye  and  then  with  the  other  as  if  in  doubt.  An  instant  later  the 
feathers  on  her  head  and  nape  ruffled  up  and  with  a  loud  squawk  of 
rage  she  suddenly  dashed  her  beak  again  and  again  into  the  strange 
egg,  breaking  it  to  fragments  in  a  moment.  As  soon  as  the  egg  was 
demolished  she  took  wing  and  disappeared  out  to  sea.  There  was  no 
intention  to  sacrifice  the  tropic  bird's  egg  in  this  experiment,  so  the « 
booby  carried  off  the  honors. 

About  10  o'clock  the  following  night  a  visit  was  paid  to  the  nesting 
boobies.    The  night  was  calm,  and  taking  a  lighted  candle  I  walked 


32  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

out  a  short  distance  to  an  opening  in  the  bushes  where  there  were 
twenty  or  thirty  nests.  The  females  were  found  on  their  eggs  with  the 
males  standing  close  beside  them.  When  the  strange  visitor  appe'ared 
in  their  midst  the  birds  set  up  a  continuous  series  of  hoarse  cries  and, 
like  so  many  moths,  seemed  to  become  fascinated  by  the  light.  They 
started  up  on  all  sides,  and  trooping  within  the  circle  of  bright  light, 
began  to  run  around  me  in  a  ring  about  20  feet  in  diameter.  They  ran 
in  single  file  from  right  to  left  and  presented  a  most  ludicrous  sight. 
Occasionally  one  fell  on  its  breast,  whereupon  the  others  scrambled 
over  the  fallen  bird  until  it  regained  its  feet  and  rejoined  the  proces- 
sion. One  of  the  number  was  suddenly  possessed  with  a  desire  to  run 
around  one  of  my  legs,  and,  although  seized  by  the  head  several  times 
and  tossed  out  among  its  companions,  persisted  in  returning  to  the 
same  place  and  continuing  its  gyrations.  The  next  morning  at  day- 
break the  birds  were  seen  standing  in  pairs  by  their  eggs  and  remained 
in  this  position  until  about  sunrise,  or  a  little  after,  when  all  of  the 
males  went  out  to  sea — usually  in  little  parties  of  two  to  five  or  six. 
They  returned  between  1  and  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  a  number 
of  them  flew  directly  to  their  mates  and  disgorged  numerous  small 
fishes  which  the  females  ate  greedily.  These  observations  seemed  to 
show  that  the  females  did  the  incubating  and  the  males  provided  the 
food.  As  the  neighboring  waters  do  not  abound  in  small  fishes,  the 
boobies  have  to  go  in  many  cases  from  10  to  30  miles  to  obtain  their 
daily  supply.  During  a  visit  to  San  Juauito  Island,  the  latter  part  of 
May,  many  blue-footed  boobies  were  found  breeding  on  sandy  beaches 
at  the  south  end  of  the  island;  many  of  the  young  were  hatched  and 
some  were  more  than  half  grown.  Like  the  young  of  the  tropic  birds, 
the  young  boobies  uttered  angry  cries  and  fought  savagely  when 
approached. 

This  species  is  found  in  Chile,  on  the  Galapagos  Islands,  and  north  to 
the  island  of  San  Pedro  Martir  in  the  Gulf  of  'California.  The  type  of 
Sula  nebouxii  was  obtained  on  the  coast  of  Chile,  and  the  type  of  S. 
gossi  came  from  San  Pedro  Martir. 

The  sexes  are  alike  in  color,  but  when  standing  together  the  males 
may  be  readily  distinguished  by  their  smaller  size  and  slenderer  form. 
In  life  the  bill  is  leaden  horn  color,  with  its  base  and  the  gular  pouch 
leaden  blue;  the  feet  are  bright  blue.  The  downy  young  are  pure 
white.  Four  specimens  measure  as  follows:  $  (1  specimen),  wing,  410; 
tail,  219;  culinen,  108;  tarsus,  51.  ?  (average  of  3  specimens),  wing, 
438;  tail,  219;  culiuen,  109.6;  tarsus,  56. 

Phalacrocorax  sp.     Cormorant. 

Two  or  three  cormorants  seen  at  a  distance  were  the  only  ones  noted 
during  the  trip.  None  were  seen  near  Isabel  nor  on  the  rocks  near 
San  Bias. 

Pelecanus  californicus  Ridgway.     California  Brown  Pelican. 

A  few  pairs  of  brown  pelicans  were  breeding  on  Isabel  Island  the 
last  of  April.  The  nests  were  made  of  sticks  and  placed  in  the  dense 


BIRDS    OF   THE   TRES    MARIAS   ISLANDS.  33 

tops  of  the  scrubby  trees  growing  on  the  rocky  inner  slopes  of  the  island. 
They  were  found  about  all  of  the  Tres  Marias,  but  usually  occurred  singly 
and  were  nowhere  common.  Two  or  three  were  seen  fishing  in  the 
breakers  alongshore  at  the  north  end  of  Maria  Madre. 

Fregata  aquila  (Linn.)-     Man-o'-war  Bird. 

Hundreds  of  inan-o'-war  birds  were  breeding  on  Isabel  in  April,  and 
on  approaching  the  island  many  were  seen  soaring  over  the  rocky  sum- 
mit. The  first  shot  caused  hundreds  of  others  to  take  wing,  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  air  was  swarming  with  them.  They  soared  in  con- 
stantly intersecting  circles,  until  the  sky  seemed  covered  with  their 
silhouetted  outlines.  So  few  had  been  seen  alongshore  near  San  Bias 
that  it  was  an  interesting  and  unexpected  sight.  Upon  landing,  numer- 
ous large,  oval,  and  brilliantly  red  objects  were  seen  in  the  tops  of  the 
dark-green  bushes  along  the  slopes.  These  proved  to  be  the  gular 
pouches  of  old  male  man-o'-war  birds  inflated  to  the  size  of  a  man's  head, 
the  brilliant  red  color  of  the  distended  membrane  making  them  very 
conspicuous  objects.  It  appeared  to  be  a  common  custom  of  the  birds  to 
sit  quietly  on  the  top  of  a  tree  for  a  long  time  with  the  pouches  thus 
distended  and  evidently  serving  as  sexual  ornaments.  A  few  birds 
were  seen  circling  high  overhead  with  their  pouches  fully  inflated,  but 
as  a  general  rule,  when  soaring,  the  pouches  were  closed. 

The  nests  were  built  of  sticks  and  placed  in  the  tops  of  low  trees 
and  stout  bushes  from  near  sea  level  to  the  summit  of  the  island. 
Three  or  four  of  these  platform-like  structures  were  found  together  in 
some  of  the  larger  bushes.  Many  of  the  young  were  hatched  and,  when 
able  to  stand  alone,  would  do  their  best  with  voice  and  beak  to  resent 
our  approach.  The  young  are  covered  with  white  down  until  nearly 
half  grown. 

A  few  of  these  birds  were  also  seen  about  the  Tres  Marias,  and  are 
said  to  breed  on  San  Juanito,  but  were  not  common. 
Ardea  herodias  Linn.     Great  Blue  Heron. 

A  few  solitary  individuals  were  seen  at  various  times  during  May 
along  the  beaches,  and  it  is  probable  that  a  few  pairs  may  breed  on  the 
islands.    They  were  also  noted  by  Colonel  Grayson. 
Ardea  egretta  Gmel.     American  Egret. 

The  American  egret  is  another  species  noted  by  Colonel  Graysou, 
which  we  did  not  see.    It  must  occur  merely  as  a  straggler  from  the 
mainland. 
Ardea  candidissima  Gmel.     Snowy  Heron. 

Kecorded  by  Colonel  Grayson  as  a  straggler,  but  not  seen  by  us. 

Nycticorax  violaceus  (Linn).     Yellow-crowned  Night  Heron. 

A  dozen  or  more  night  herons  were  noted  and  a  young  bird  was  shot 
on  a  rock  close  to  Isabel  Island,  where  it  must  have  strayed  from  the 
mainland.    As  Colonel  Graysou  found  them  on  the  islands  and  took 
13950— No.  14 3 


34  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

specimens  in  immature  plumage,  it  is  very  probable  that  they  breed 
there  iu  small  numbers. 

Tetanus  .flavipes  (Gmel.).     Yellow-legs. 

A  single  specimen  was  shot  by  Prof.  C.  L.  Herrick  on  Maria  Madre 
the  middle  of  May. 

Actitis  macularia  (Linn.)-     Spotted  Sandpiper. 

A  few  were  seen  along  the  shore  on  all  of  the  islands,  where  they 
probably  breed. 

Several  small  flocks  of  another  sandpiper  were  seen  along  shore  on 
the  islands;  but  although  considerable  energy  was  expended  in  their 
pursuit  we  failed  to  secure  a  specimen. 
JEgialitis  semipalmata  Bouap.     Semipalmated  Plover. 

Colonel  Grayson  took  a  single  specimen  of  this  plover.  It  was  not 
seen  by  us  and  must  occur  only  as  a  straggler. 

Haematopus  palliatus  Temminck.     American  Oyster-catcher. 

Bather  common  on  the  shores  of  the  Tres  Marias  and  Isabel,  as  well 
as  along  the  coast  of  the  mainland  near  San  Bias.  A  series  of  ten 
oyster-catchers  were  secured  and  have  been  compared  with  four  speci- 
mens of  Haematopus  galapagensis,  one  of  H.  frazari,  and  a  number  of 
typical  H.  palliatus  (from  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States  and 
the  West  Indies). 

All  of  the  birds  from  the  Tres  Marias,  Isabel  Island,  and  the  adjacent 
mainland  were  found  to  be  surprisingly  close  to  typical  palliatus.  As 
the  Tres  Marias  are  not  far  south  of  Lower  California,  the  birds  from 
the  islands  might  naturally  be  expected  to  be  nearly  typical  repre- 
sentatives of  //.  frazari.  In  reality  about  the  only  sign  of  gradation 
toward  the  latter  form  is  the  mixed  black  and  white  across  the  lower 
border  of  the  black  neck  area.  Some  specimens  from  a  single  small 
flock  on  Maria  Cleofa  had  the  line  of  demarkatiou  between  the  black  and 
white  areas  on  the  breast  as  sharply  denned  as  in  palliatus,  while  others 
had  the  mixed  black  and  white  areas,  as  in  frazari  and  galapagensis. 
Some  of  the  birds  have  a  white  spot  on  the  under  eyelid,  which  is 
absent  in  others,  but  otherwise  the  color  is  the  same  as  in  typical  pal- 
liatus. Birds  from  the  Tres  Marias  and  the  mainland  coast  to  the 
south  have  an  average  shorter  bill  and  tarsus  than  true  palliatus,  and 
in  this  character  approximate  frazari  and  galapagensis.  Mr.  Bid g way 
has  already  called  attention  to  the  close  general  similarity  existing 
between  the  two  latter  species.  The  series  from  the  Tres  Marias  and 
adjacent  coast  agree  with  specimens  in  the  National  Museum  from 
various  points  along  the  Pacific  coast  of  Mexico,  Central,  and  South 
America  in  being  very  close  to  typical  palliatus,  thus  showing  pretty 
conclusively  that  this  is  the  resident  bird  along  the  coast  and  adjacent 
islands  south  of  Lower  California. 

So  far  as  can  be  judged  from  specimens  at  hand,  H.  galapagensis  is 
distinct  from  frazari,  although  the  birds  resemble  one  other  more  closely 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MAKIAS    ISLANDS. 


35 


than  they  do  representatives  of  palliatus  from  the  adjacent  mainland. 
A  series  of  specimens  from  the  southern  eiid  of  Lower  California  will 
probably  show  intergradation  between  palliatus  find  Jrazari.  The  fol- 
lowing measurements  show  the  comparative  sizes  of  birds  from  various 
localities: 

Measurements  of  Heematopus  palliatus,  H.frazari,  and  H.  galapagensis. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Oul- 

ini-ii. 

Tarsus. 

Haematopns  palliatus.. 

Atlantic      coast,       United 

? 

3 

260 

102.3 

90 

63 

States  and  West  Indies. 

* 

Hicmutopus  palliatus.. 

T  res  Marias  and    Isabel 

<t 

6 

256 

100.1 

75.8 

58.1 

Islands. 

Haematopus  palliatus.. 

Tres  Marias  and  adjacent 

? 

5 

262.  2 

104 

83.8 

58.4 

Hicmatopus  palliatus.. 

coast. 
Peru  and  Chile  

§ 

o 

263 

97.5 

84 

61 

Hicmatopus  frazari  

Coast  of  Lower  California  .  . 

? 

4 

250.2 

116.8 

74.4 

56.9 

I  l;i  -111:1  to]  H  is   g  a  lap  a- 

Galapagos  Islands  

<t 

2 

253 

98 

83.5 

54.5 

gensis. 

Hicmntopus   g  a  1  a  p  a- 

Galapagos  Islands  

? 

3 

246.6 

101.6 

82 

57 

gensis. 

Columba  flavirostris  madrensis  Nelson.     Tres  Marias  Pigeon. 

Columba  flavirostris  Gray  son,  Proc.    Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  274,  1871; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  304,  1874. 
Columba  Jiavirostris  madrensis  Nelson,  Proc.  L5iol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  6,  1898. 

These  handsome  birds  were  rather  common  on  Maria  Madre  and 
Maria  Magdaleua,  ranging  to  the  summits  of  the  islands,  and  they 
probably  live  also  on  Maria  Cleofa.  On  Maria  Madre  they  were  most 
numerous  along  the  wooded  sides  of  a  canyon  some  distance  back  from 
the  coast,  where  they  usually  perched  among  the  higher  branches  of 
the  trees  or  were  seen  Hying  about  by  twos  and  threes.  Early  in  the 
morning  a  few  could  be  found  among  the  smaller  trees  on  the  bases  of 
the  foothills  near  the  settlement,  but  later  in  the  day  they  retired  farther 
inland  to  the  more  heavily  wooded  slopes.  On  Maria  Magdaleua  they 
were  numerous  in  some  trees  near  a  group  of  deserted  houses  and  in 
old  clearings  a  short  distance  back  from  the  shore.  They  came  to  these 
trees  to  feed  upon  the  ripening  fruit,  but  were  rather  shy.  When  one 
becomes  startled  and  takes  wing  it  makes  a  loud  Happing  noise  that 
alarms  its  companions,  and  then  ail  dash  swiftly  away.  They  were  less 
confiding  than  most  of  the  birds  on  the  islands,  but  were  not  so  shy  as 
their  representatives  on  the  mainland.  Wild  figs  and  the  small  fruit 
of  a  tree,  probably  a  species  of  Psidium,  or  wild  guava,  were  favorite 
articles  of  food.  Their  loud  cooing  note  is  uttered  at  short  intervals 
and  is  one  of  tne  characteristic  sounds  in  the  forests  they  frequent. 
They  are  essentially  arboreal  in  habits  and  are  rarely  seen  near  the 
ground. 


36  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

Zenaidura  macroura  (Linn).     Mourning  Dove. 

A  single  mourning  dove  was  taken  on  May  5,  on  Maria  Madre,  and  a 
few  others  were  seen  on  the  island  during  the  first  half  of  the  month. 
They  were  found  for  a  short  time  about  an  old  field  near  the  shore,  and, 
like  several  other  species,  were  probably  stray  migrants. 
Leptotila  fulviventris  brachyptera  (Salvador!).    White-fronted  Dove. 

There  is  a  typical  specimen  of  this  bird  in  the  National  Museum  col- 
lection, which  was  taken  on  the  Tres  Marias  by  Colonel  Grayson.    It 
was  undoubtedly  a  straggler  from  the  mainland,  as  it  shows  no  approach 
toward  the  characters  distinguishing  the  resident  insular  species. 
Leptotila  capitalis  Nelson.     Tres  Marias  Dove. 

leptoptila  alUfrons  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  274, 1871  (part) ; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  305, 1874  (part). 
Leptotila  capitalis  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  6,  1898. 

Very  common  on  Maria  Madre  and  Maria  Magdalena,  and  prob 
ably  occurs  also  on  Maria  Cleofa.  They  run  about  on  the  ground 
under  the  shade  of  the  forest  with  motions  like  those  of  a  quail.  Dur- 
ing the  morning  and  evening  hours  quiet  trails  leading  through  the 
forest  are  their  favorite  resorts.  When  walking  along  these  trails  one 
sees  them  for  a  moment,  sometimes  running  and  sometimes  on  the  wing 
close  to  the  ground,  as  they  disappear  around  the  next  bend.  If  one 
is  walking  slowly  the  birds  will  frequently  keep  ahead  for  some  distance, 
but  if  pressed  they  either  run  or  fly  to  one  side  into  the  sheltering 
woods.  They  have  a  loud  cooing  note,  which  is  heard  at  short  intervals 
wherever  the  birds  are  common.  During  the  hot  hours  of  the  day  they 
retire  to  the  shadiest  recesses  of  the  forest  and  usually  perch  in  some 
thick- topped  tree.  While  resting  in  these  retreats  they  have  the  pretty 
custom  of  uttering  mellow  call  notes,  as  if  in  response  to  one  another. 
During  the  breeding  season  they  are  seen  in  pairs,  keepingclose  together, 
but  at  other  times  are  solitary.  When  forced  to  take  wing,  they  do  so 
with  a  loud  whirring  sound  and  dart  away  through  the  intricate  mazes 
of  the  dense  forest  with  wonderful  quickness.  Their  agility  in  flying 
at  full  speed  among  the  network  of  trunks  and  branches  is  extraordinary 
and  equalled  by  few  birds.  If  they  take  wing  without  being  alarmed, 
their  flight  is  almost  noiseless. 

Melopelia  leucoptera  (Linn).     White-winged  Dove. 

White-winged  doves  were  rather  common  residents  on  both  Maria 
Madre  and  Maria  Magdaleua,  and  a  few  were  seen  on  Maria  Cleofa. 

Colonel  Grayson  does  not  mention  having  seen  this  bird  during  any 
of  his  visits  to  the  islands.  It  seems  quite  improbable  that  so  con- 
spicuous a  species  should  have  been  present  and  overlooked,  and  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  it  has  become  a  resident  of  the  islands  since 
his  visits.  It  is  now  a  conspicuous  and  widely  spread  species  and  one 
of  the  two  resident  land  birds  found  by  us  that  are  not  in  Grayson's 
list.  In  habits  and  appearance  the  white-winged  doves  of  the  islands 
are  identical  with  those  on  the  mainland,  where  the  species  is  very 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  37 

numerous.  Two  specimens  were  taken  on  Maria  Madre,  May  7,  and 
a  single  specimen  was  shot  on  Isabel  Island,  April  22;  the  latter  was 
undoubtedly  a  straggler  from  the  mainland,  since  Isabel  is  a  waterless 
island. 

ColumbigaLina  passerina  pallescens  (Baird).    Mexican  Ground  Dove. 

These  pretty  little  doves  were  common  on  Maria  Madre  and  Maria 
Magdalena,  but  were  most  numerous  about  old  fields  and  in  the  settle- 
ment on  the  former  island.  The  series  of  specimens  taken  on  Maria 
Madre  appears  to  be  identical  with  the  birds  of  the  adjacent  mainland; 
seven  males  from  the  islands  average  as  follows:  Wing,  87.4;  tail, 61.8; 
culmen,  11.6;  tarsus,  16.6. 
Cathartes  aura  (Linn.).  Turkey  Vulture. 

Generally  distributed,  and  very  common  about  the  settlement  on 
Maria  Madre. 

Buteo  borealis  fumosus  Nelson.     Tres  Marias  Red-tailed  Hawk. 

Jiuteo  borealis  var.  montana  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  268, 1871 

(part). 
Buteo  borealis  var.  calurus  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  301,  1874 

(part). 
Buteo  borealis  fumosus  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  7, 1898. 

Colonel  Grayson  records  this  as  a  common  species.  We  found  a 
few  living  along  the  canyons  that  score  the  slopes  of  Maria  Madre. 
They  were  very  sparsely  distributed  and  only  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
individuals  were  noted;  two  or  three  were  seen  on  Maria  Magdalena 
and  none  on  Maria  Cleofa.  They  were  not  at  all  shy,  and  whenever 
found  perched  on  a  tree  were  readily  approached  within  gunshot. 
They  feed  mainly  upon  iguanas  and  rabbits,  both  of  which  are  common' 
on  the  two  larger  islands.  Nothing  distinctive  was  noted  about  the 
habits  of  these  hawks.  They  are  uniform  in  color,  and  differ  more  from 
the  mainland  forms  than  does  B.  borealis  socorroensis,  although  the 
latter  is  from  an  island  much  farther  out  at  sea. 

The  adult  female  of  fumosus  has  some  heavy  shaft  streaks  of  dark 
brown  on  the  chest,  but  these  are  not  heavy  enough  to  form  a  well- 
defined  dark  area  as  is  often  the  case  in  calurus. 

Description  of  an  immature  male  ( ?)  from  Maria  Madre :  Upper  surface 
almost  uniform  blackish  brown;  tail  mainly  of  same  color,  but  crossed 
by  nine  narrow,  irregular  lighter  bands;  a  light  area  on  the  throat, 
where  the  feathers  have  narrow  blackish  shaft  lines  and  broad,  dull 
white  borders:  breast  and  sides  of  neck  dull,  dark  brown,  with  dull, 
rusty  edgings  to  feathers  on  latter  area;  middle  of  breast  paler;  feathers 
on  lower  breast  and  flanks  blackish  brown,  with  irregular  whitish  spots; 
abdomen  and  lower  tail  coverts  dull  brownish,  paler  than  flanks,  with 
pale  butty  barring;  some  feathers  of  tibia  buffy  or  heavily  barred  with 
bntt'y,  but  mostly  like  those  of  lower  breast. 


38  NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 

Below  are  averages  showing  the  relative  size  of  the  two  island  forms: 

Measurements  of  Buteo  borealls  fumosus  and  Buteo  b.  socorroensis. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Se*. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul 
men. 

Depth 
of  bill. 

Tarsus. 

Buteo  borealis  fumo 

Maria  Madre  Island. 

Ad.  cT 

3 

m  3 

207.3 

26 

18.5 

81.3 

8US. 

Ad    9 

412 

214 

30 

20 

84 

8U8. 

Buteo  borealis  .socor- 

Socorro Island  

Ad.,:T 

2 

387.5 

207.5 

25 

17.5 

80 

roensis. 

do 

Ad    9 

425 

221 

30 

20 

8G 

roensis. 

Falco  peregrinus  anatum  (Bonap. ).     Duck  Hawk. 

Falco  peregrinus  var.  nigriceps  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  L>68, 

1871. 

A  single  duck  hawk  was  taken  by  Colonel  Grayson,  who  mentions 
that  it  was  shot  while  in  close  pursuit  of  a  sparrow  hawk.     We  did 
not  see  this  species  during  our  visit  to  the  islands. 
Palco  sparverius  Linn.     Sparrow  Hawk. 

The  sparrow  hawk  was  recorded  from  the  islands  by  Colonel  Gray- 
son,  but  we  did  not  see  a  single  individual,  and  it  probably  occurs 
merely  as  a  straggler. 
Falco  columbarius  Linn.     Pigeon  Hawk. 

Colonel  Grayson  records   this   species  as  very  common   upon   the 
islands.    Not  a  single  individual  was  seen   by  us,  and   it  probably 
occurs  only  as  a  winter  visitant  or  stray  migrant. 
Falco  albigularis  Daudm.     White-throated  Falcon. 

Hypotriorchis  rufigularis  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  269,  1871; 
Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  301, 1874. 

Colonel  Grayson  took  a  specimen  of  this  fine  little  falcon  on  the 
islands.  None  were  seen  by  us,  and  it  must,  no  doubt,  be  classed  as 
one  of  the  numerous  accidental  visitants  from  the  mainland. 

Polyborus  cheriway  pallidus  Nelson.     Tres  Marias  Caracara. 

Polyborus  audubonii  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist..  XIV,  p.  268,  1871, 

"(part). 
Polyborus  tharus  var.  auduboni  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  303, 

1874,  (part). 
Polyboriis  cheriway  pallidus  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  8,  1898. 

Very  abundant  about  the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre  and  rather 
commonly  distributed  elsewhere  over  the  island.  They  were  also 
rather  common  on  the  other  islands,  including  San  Juanito.  The  old 
log  roads  and  dry  bottoms  of  the  canyons  on  Maria  Madre  were 
favorite  resorts.  The  birds  were  met  in  many  unexpected  places,  and 
were  frequently  seen  perched  in  tree  tops  in  the  midst  of  the  unbroken 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  39 

forest.  Iguanas  were  excessively  numerous,  and  furnished  the  main 
supply  of  food  for  the  caracaras ;  the  birds  were  on  the  alert,  however, 
for  anything  in  the  form  of  carrion  that  turned  up  along  shore  or  in 
the  forest. 

Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis  (Gmel.)     American  Osprey. 

Several  ospreys  were  seen  along  the  shores  of  all  the  islands,  where 
they  probably  nest.     Colonel  Grayson  found  a  nest  on  a  rock  adjacent 
to  the  northern  shore  of  Maria  Madre  and  another  in  a  large  cactus. 
Mr.  Forrer  obtained  an  immature  bird  during  his  visit  to  this  island. 
Strix  pratincola  Bonap.     American  Barn  Owl. 

Colonel  Grayson  states  that  he  heard  the  well-known  hissing  scream 
of  this  bird  nt  night  on  the  Tres  Marias.  We  were  told  of  the  pres- 
ence of  barn  owls  on  the  islands,  but  did  not  see  them,  and  failed  to 
learn  whether  they  occur  as  residents  or  stray  migrants. 

Speotyto  cunicularia  hypogaea  (Bonap.)      Burrowing  Owl.     . 

Colonel  Grayson  says  of  the  burrowing  owl,  "  A  few  individuals  of 
this  species  inhabit  the  Marias  Islands,  perhaps  wandered  from  the 
m  -inland."  We  neither  saw  nor  could  learn  anything  of  them,  and 
those  seen  by  Colonel  Grayson  were  probably  winter  stragglers. 

?  Micropallas  Sp. 

The  first  evening  after  landing  on  Maria  Madre,  Mr.  Goldman  saw 
and  heard  a  little  owl  about  the  size  of  Glaucidium  phalamoides  on  an 
old  log  road  in  the  forest.  It  was  very  near,  and  when  he  had  moved 
back  far  enough  to  shoot  without  destroying  the  bird  it  became  too 
indistinct  to  see  and  so  escaped.  Its  notes  were  not  like  those  of  the 
ferruginous  owl.  This  was  the  only  one  seen  or  heard  during  our  stay. 
If  a  resident,  it  is  very  uncommon,  for  special  but  unsuccessful  efforts 
were  made  to  find  others.1 

Amazona  oratrix  Ridgway.     Double  Yellow-headed  Parrot. 

Chryaotia  lemillantii  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  271,  1871; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  296, 1874. 
Amazona  oratrix  Ridgway,  Man.  N.  Am.  Birds,  p.  594, 1887. 

The  yellow-headed  parrot  is  a  common  resident  and  always  nests  in 
holes  high  up  in  large  trees  in  the  forest.  Half  grown  young  were 
found  the  middle  of  May.  The  birds  were  usually  seen  flying  about 
the  forest  in  pairs,  but  congregated  in  flocks  of  from  six  to  twenty  or 
more  at  their  feeding  places.  They  feed  upon  the  fruits  of  various 
trees,  and  during  May  the  fleshy  pods  of  Pithecolobium  dulce  formed 
their  staple  article  of  diet.  These  low  trees,  from  15  to  35  feet  high, 
were  growing  around  the  houses  of  the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre  and 
were  scattered  thence  along  the  coast,  especially  about  the  borders  of 

'During  the  visit  to  Maria  Magdalena  Island  a  larger  owl  was  seen  in  the  forest 
along  the  bottom  of  a  steep  canyon,  but  was  not  sutticiently  near  to  identify,  and 
csc:i]KMl  before  it  could  be  obtained.  This  was  probably  Ciccaba  aqitamulata  (Bonap.), 
a  species  which  is  not  rare  on  the  mainland. 


40  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

old  clearings  and  in  scrubby  second  growth  on  the  lower  slopes.  A 
number  of  yellow-headed  parrots  came  down  every  day  to  feed  in  the 
trees,  even  among  the  houses,  and  did  not  pay  the  slightest  attention 
to  passing  people.  As  these  birds  readily  learn  to  talk,  they  are  highly 
prized  as  pets,  and  are  sold  to  visitors,  or  sent  to  towns  on  the  main- 
land; the  birds  taken  while  young  being  most  highly  prized  on  account 
of  their  docility.  The  men  search  for  their  nests,  and  when  one  is 
located  the  hunter  strikes  the  base  of  the  tree  several  sharp  blows  with 
a  stone  or  ax,  and  then  places  his  ear  against  the  trunk  and  listens. 
He  can  tell  whether  the  young  are  old  enough  to  remove,  by  the  strength 
of  the  cries  they  utter  in  reponse  to  the  blows  on  the  tree.  Being  satis- 
fied of  the  presence  of  his  game,  the  hunter  climbs  the  tree,  and  if 
necessary  cuts  into  the  nest  with  his  machete.  Each  brood  contains 
two  young,  which  are  carried  to  the  ground  inside  the  hunter's  shirt. 
By  means  of  a  noose  on  the  end  of  a  long  cane,  like  a  fishing  rod,  many 
old  parrots  are  captured  while  feeding.  An  old  woman  had  twenty  birds 
which  she  had  taken  in  this  manner  while  they  were  feeding  in  the 
top  of  a  small  Pithecolobium  tree  by  her  door.  The  hunters  search  for 
regular  feeding  places  in  the  forest  and  wait  under  the  trees  for  the 
birds  to  come.  When  the  birds  arrive,  the  end  of  the  rod  is  slowly  and 
cautiously  pushed  up  through  the  branches,  the  noose  slipped  over  tlie 
bird's  head  and  drawn  about  its  neck  with  a  quick  jerk,  after  which 
the  victim  is  hauled  down  and  thrust  into  a  cage.  A  favorite  resort 
for  the  parrots  on  Maria  Madre  was  a  group  of  trees  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  settlement.  The  birds  were  very  unsuspicious,  and  one  could 
walk  up  within  20  or  25  yards  in  full  view  and  watch  them  without 
their  paying  much  attention.  The  parrots  were  constantly  chattering, 
and  the  greatest  good  comradeship  seemed  to  prevail.  Mates  kept 
close  together  and  showed  their  attachment  by  caressing  and  feeding 
one  another  at  short  intervals.  The  proficiency  in  speaking  which  some 
of  these  birds  attain  is  remarkable.  The  daughter  of  the  customs 
inspector  on  Maria  Madre  had  one  which  afforded  much  amusement 
by  the  variety  of  its  remarks  and  their  frequently  absurd  appropriate- 
ness. Colonel  Grayson  supposed  these  birds  to  be  peculiar  to  tlie  Tres 
Marias,  as  he  did  not  chance  to  find  them  on  the  mainland.  In  reality, 
they  are  widely  distributed  on  both  coasts  of  Mexico. 

After  comparing  the  series  taken  on  the  islands  with  specimens 
from  both  coasts  of  the  Mexican  mainland  certain  slight  differences 
are  noticeable,  but  are  too  poorly  defined  to  be  worthy  of  subspecific 
recognition.  The  island  birds  are  usually  apple  green  on  the  dorsal 
surface,  and  mainland  specimens  are  more  of  an  oil  green;  the  ventral 
surface  has  a  more  decided  bluish  wash ;  there  is  also  tendency  to  a 
richer  suffusion  of  orange  and  orange  red  on  the  yellow  feathers  about 
the  necks  of  old  birds. 

The  following  measurements  show  that  the  island  birds  are  a  little 
larger  than  those  of  the  mainland,  with  proportionately  smaller  bill  and 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TEES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


41 


shorter  tarsus.  Averages  of  9  specimens  from  the  islands  (both  sexes) : 
Wing,  233.3;  tail,  133.6;  culmen,  34.3;  tarsus,  24.7.  Averages  of  7 
specimens  from  both  coasts  of  the  mainland  (both  sexes) :  Wing,  222.5; 
tail,  120.1;  culmen,  34.4;  tarsus,  24.5. 

Some  old  residents  on  Maria  Madre  reported  that  they  had  occa- 
sionally seen  stray  individuals  of  another  parrot  which  was  a  little 
smaller  than  the  yellow  head,  probably  Amazona  finschi,  which  is 
abundant  on  the  mainland. 

Psittacula  insularis  Ridgway.     Tres  Marias  Lovebird. 

Psittacula  cyanopyga  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  271,  1871; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  297,  1874  (part). 

Psittacula  insularis  Ridgway,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Museum,  X,  1887,  p.  541  (Aug.  1888). 
Psittacula  cyanopygia  Salvador!,  Cat.  Birds  Brit.  Mus.,  XX,  p.  249,  1891  (part). 

Lovebirds,  or  'catarinas,' as  they  are  called  by  the  Mexicans,  are 
common  on  Maria  Madre  and  Maria  Magdalena,  and  probably  occur  on 
Maria  Cleofa,  although  none  were  seen  on  the  latter  island.  They 
were  usually  seen  in  flocks,  from  a  few  pairs  up  to  30  or  40  individuals, 
and  in  May  were  feeding  on  small,  sweet,  wild  figs,  common  on  the  lower 
slopes.  While  feeding  they  keep  up  a  constant  chattering,  which  noti- 
fies one  of  their  presence.  When  flying  over  the  top  of  the  forest  they 
keep  in  compact  flocks  and  move  steadily  forward  with  rapid  wing 
beats,  suggesting  a  flock  of  cedar  birds.  They  are  very  gentle,  affec- 
tionate little  creatures  and  quickly  become  tame  and  greatly  attached 
to  their  owners. 

Salvadori  considers  Paittacula  insularis  a  synonym  of  P.  cyanopyga. 
The  series  of  eight  adults  from  the  islands  and  seven  from  the  main- 
land show  that  the  island  birds  can  be  readily  distinguished.  The 
two  series  show  no  signs  of  intergradatiou  in  color,  and  their  specific 
distinctness  is  well  defined,  although  the  average  measurements  show 
but  slight  differences  in  size. 


Description  of  Psittacula  insularis,  $  ad., 
Maria  Madre,  May,  1897: 

Cheeks,  lores,  forehead,  and  crown, 
back  to  line  between  orbits,  rich  green, 
decidedly  clearer  than  in  cyanopyga,  and 
rnnch  more  sharply  contrasted  with  sur- 
rounding colors. 

Middle  of  crown  green,  shading 
abruptly  into  dull  bluish  green,  which 
extends  thence  over  neck,  middle  of  back, 
scapulars,  tertials,  and  lesser  wing 
coverts. 

Rump  patch,  axillars,  and  greater  wing 
coverts  vivid  cobalt  blue. 

Upper  tail  coverts  brighter  green  than 
middle  of  back,  but  darker  than  in 
cyanopyija. 

Upper  surface  of  tail  dark  green,  darker 
than  in  cyanopyga. 


Description  of  Psittacula  cyanopyga,  $  ad., 
Tepic,  Mexico,  April,  1897: 

Cheeks,  lores,  and  forehead  bright 
green,  more  yellowish  than  in  insularis, 
and  shading  gradually  into  surrounding 
colors. 

Crown,  from  between  orbits,  neck,  mid- 
dle of  back,  scapulars,  tertials,  and 
lesser  wing  coverts,  dark  green  without 
bluish. 

Rump  patch,  axillars,  and  greater  wing 
coverts  bright  turquoise  blue. 

Upper  tail  coverts  clearer  green  than 
back. 

Upper  surface  of  tail  rich  green. 


42 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


Secondaries  ami  outer  vanes  of  prima- 
ries near  base,  dark  blue ;  primaries  with 
outer  vanes  along  distal  half  and  at  tips 
edged  with  dark  green;  inner  webs  of 
primaries  brown. 

Exposed  under  surface  of  primaries 
and  secondaries  dull  blue. 

Lower  parts,  back  to  crissum,  dingy 
blue  with  a  dull  greenish  wash;  blue 
brightest  on  abdomen,  and  contrasting 
abruptly  with  green  of  crissnm. 

Crissuin  rich  dark  green. 


Secondaries  and  outer  vanes  of  inner 
primaries  dark  blue ;  rest  of  outer  vanes 
and  tips  of  primaries  dark  green  ;  inner 
webs  of  primaries  brown. 

Exposed  under  surface  of  primaries 
and  secondaries  dull  bluish  green. 

Lower  parts,  back  to  crissum,  dull 
green,  richest  on  abdomen  and  shading 
insensibly  into  color  of  crissum. 

Crissum  brighter  green. 


Description  of  Psittacula  insularis,  9  ad., 
Maria  Madre,  May,  1897. 


Description  of  Psittacula  cyanopyga,  9  ad., 
from  Tepic,  Mexico,  April,  1S97. 


Entire    dorsal    surface    dingy    green;  Dorsal   surface  dark  green;  brightest 

brightest    on   sides   of   head,   forehead,  on  forehead,  rump,  and  upper  tail  coverts, 

rump,  and  upper  tail  coverts,  with  a  dull  with  an  olive  shade  on  middle  of  back 

bluish    shade    on    middle   of  back   and  and  wings. 
wings. 

Lower    surface    dull    green,   back    to  Lower  surface    nearly  uniform    light 

crissum;  the  latter  brighter  green.  green,  with  a  yellowish  shade;  crissum 

nearly  the  same. 


Areruye  measurements  of  Psitlacnla  insularis  and  P.  cyanopyya. 


Num- 

Name. 

Locality.                       Sex. 

ber  of 
speci- 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul-  ' 
men. 

Tarsus. 

mens. 

Psittacula  insularis.... 

Maria  Madro  Island  'ad.  J 

6 

91.8 

45.8 

13.9 

12.9 

Paittacnla  insularis 

do                                         ad  ? 

2 

91  5 

4C  5 

13  5 

13 

Psittacula  cyanopyga.  . 

Tepic  and  Jalisco  ad.  tf 

3 

90.  C 

45.0 

12.8 

13.1 

do    .                                    ad  2 

4 

89  •> 

41  5 

13  1 

12  7 

'             |       * 

Coccyzus  minor  (Gmel.)     Mangrove  Cuckoo. 

This  bird  is  rather  common  among  the  mangroves  and  other  trees 
bordering  the  salt  lagoons  near  San  Bias.  A  single  specimen  was 
taken  on  May  8  near  the  shore  of  Maria  Madre,  bnt  no  others  were 
seen,  and  it  probably  occurs  there  only  as  a  straggler. 

Trogon  ambiguus  goldmani  Nelson.     Goldman's  Trogon. 

Trogon  ambiguus  Grayson  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  272,  1871;  Lawr., 

Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  290,  1874  (part). 
Trogon  ambiyuiis  goldmani  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  8,  1898. 

Goldman's  trogon  was  common  in  the  more  heavily  wooded  parts  of 
Maria  Madre  and  Maria  Magdalena,  and  occurs  no  doubt  on  the  less 
heavily  wooded  Cleofa.  On  .Maria  Madre  they  were  found  from  the  coast 
up  nearly  to  the  summit  in  suitable  timber  and  especially  along  the  sides 
and  bottoms  of  heavily  wooded  canyons.  Their  habits  were  similar 
to  those  of  the  mainland  bird.  They  sit  quietly  for  a  time  on  a  branch 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  43 

arid  then  fly,  with  an  undulating  motion,  to  another  tree  in  the  vicinity. 
Their  notes  are  limited  to  a  short  succession  of  unmusical  sounds, 
which  are  frequently  heard.  They  were  reported  to  nest  in  hollow 
trees.  Unlike  most  of  the  birds  of  these  islands,  the  trogons  were 
nearly  as  shy  as  their  representatives  on  the  mainland.  In  life  they 
have  light  yellow  bills  and  bright  red  eyelids. 

Ceryle  alcyon  (Linn.).     Belted  Kingfisher. 

Colonel  Grayson  records  that  during  each  of  his  visits  one  or  two 
belted  kingfishers  were  observed  sitting  on  rocks  along  the  seashore. 
None  were  seen  by  us. 

Dryobates  scalaris  graysoui  (Baird).     Grayson's  Woodpecker. 

I'icus  scalaris  var.  graysoni  Baird,  Hist.  N.  Am.  Birds,  II,  pp.  515,  517, 1874 ;  Lawr., 
Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  294, 1874. 

This  is  the  only  woodpecker  found  on  the  Tres  Marias.  It  is  com- 
mon on  all  of  the  islands  and  generally  distributed,  except  in  the  most 
heavily  wooded  areas.  It  seems  to  prefer  second-growth  thickets  and 
other  places  where  shrubs  and  scrubby  trees  form  low  and  rather  thin 
forests,  and  was  usually  seen  hunting  for  food  along  the  trunks  of  large 
shrubs  or  small  trees.  It  was  a  common  practice  for  them  to  alight  on 
tree  trunks  near  the  ground  and  work  slowly  to  the  top,  and  after 
remaining  there  quietly  for  a  time  to  make  a  short  flight  to  another 
tree.  Like  its  relative  of  the  mainland,  it  is  a  very  quiet  bird,  rarely 
uttering  any  call  notes  and  making  little  noise  while  searching  for  food. 
From  its  habit  of  peering  into  crevices  of  the  bark  and  doing  only  a 
small  amount  of  pecking  it  is  evident  that  it  finds  most  of  its  food  on 
or  near  the  surface.  Old  nesting  sites  were  seen  in  the  trunks  of  both 
living  and  dead  trees  and  in  the  flower  steins  of  large  magueys.  The 
holes  were  usually  between  5  and  10  feet  from  the  ground.  Colonel 
Grayson  found  a  nest  about  12  feet  from  the  ground  in  the  green  flower 
stem  of  a  large  maguey  (Agave)  near  the  seashore  in  April. 

A  comparison  of  a  series  of  these  island  woodpeckers  with  other  forms 
shows  that  the  dorsal  surface,  including  the  crest  of  the  males,  is  most 
like  typical  D.  scalaris  from  the  plains  of  Puebla.  On  the  ventral 
surface  it  may  be  distinguished  from  all  the  other  races  by  its  whiter 
color  and  scantier  and  smaller  black  markings  along  the  sides.  These 
markings  are  usually  in  the  form  of  small  rounded  spots  instead  of 
more  or  less  elongated  streaks,  as  in  the  other  races,  and  the  white 
markings  on  the  greater  and  lesser  wing  coverts  are  decidedly  larger 
and  more  conspicuous.  D.  s.  graysoni  averages  a  little  smaller  than 
D.  s.  scalaris.  The  darker  dorsal  surface  and  unmarked  bases  of  outer 
tail  feathers  distinguish  it  trom  D.  s.  bairdii.  it  has  a  shorter,  stouter 
bill  than  D.  s.  lucasanus,  with  considerably  more  barring  on  the  outer 
tail  feathers.  From  D.  s.  sinaloemis  it  is  distinguished  mainly  by  its 
larger  size,  darker  dorsal  surface,  and  paler,  less  marked  lower  sur- 


44 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


face.     The  following  averages  show  the  relative  size  of  graysoni  and 
sinalotnsis : 

Measurements  of  Dryobates  a.  graysoni  and  Dryobates  .s.  sinaloensis. 


Num- 

Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

ber  of 
speci- 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cnl- 

iin-ii. 

Tarsus. 

mens. 

Maria  Madre  Island  

ad.rf 

6 

98.7 

59.6 

22.1 

18.6 

graysoni. 

do  

ad.  ? 

3 

96.6 

57 

19.5 

17.5 

graysoni. 

Dryobates    scalaris 

Sinaloa  and  Tepic  

sd.rf 

3 

94.6 

53.6 

19.8 

17.1 

sinaloensis. 

An  adult  female  in  the  National  Museum  collection  from  Mazatlan, 
while  having  the  normal  bill  and  tarsus  of  sinaloensis,  agrees  with 
birds  from  the  Tres  Marias  in  its  long  wings  and  tail.  Its  measure- 
ments are  as  follows:  Wing,  96;  tail,  60;  culmen,  18.5;  tarsus,  16.5. 

Nycticlromus  albicollis  insularis  Nelson.     Tres  Marias  Parauque. 

Nyctidromus  albicollis  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  XIV,  p.  273,  1871 ; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  291,  1874. 
Nyctidromus  albicollis  insularis  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington  XII,  p.  9, 1898. 

On  the  mainland  the  parauques  are  rarely  seen  while  the  sun  is 
above  the  horizon,  but  when  night  falls  they  come  out  of  the  dense 
thickets  where  they  have  passed  the  day  and  sit  in  dusty  trails  and 
other  open  places.  On  Maria  Madre  they  were  among  the  commonest 
birds  frequenting  old  log  roads  through  the  forest  and  shady  canyon 
bottoms  until  late  in  the  morning  and  coming  out  again  at  3  or  4  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  Of  late  years  these  places  have  been  so  completely 
given  over  to  solitude  that  when  a  human  being  chances  to  stray  into 
them  he  is  looked  upon  with  little  fear.  The  wood  folk  seem  to  con 
sider  him  harmless  and  only  a  strange  creature  of  their  own  kind. 

Parauques  were  among  the  most  confiding  birds  found  in  these  quiet 
retreats  and  permitted  a  close  approach  before  taking  wing  and  moving 
away.  In  the  early  dusk  they  were  frequently  seen  hawking  for  insects 
among  the  low  trees.  Several  came  about  camp  at  the  north  end  of 
Maria  Madre  just  after  sunset,  and  flew  very  swiftly  back  and  forth 
with  the  same  erratic  course  and  vigorous  wing  strokes  that  are  so 
characteristic  of  the  night-hawk.  In  fact,  I  mistook  one  of  these  birds 
for  a  night  hawk  until  it  was  secured.  Their  notes  remind  one  slightly 
of  the  whip-poor-will's,  but  are  not  so  loud  and  far-reaching.  The 
regular  call  is  made  up  of  two  and  sometimes  three  syllables,  besides 
which  they  have  various  little  clucking  and  purring  notes. 

Curiously  enough  the  parauques  of  the  Tres  Marias  bear  a  much 
greater  resemblance,  in  size  and  color,  to  X.  albicollis  merrilli  of  the 
Eio  Grande  Valley  than  to  the  ordinary  birds  of  the  adjacent  mainland. 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  45 

Chordeiles  acutipemiis  texensis  (Lawr.)     Texas  Nighthawk. 

A  single  specimen  was  taken  May  5  on  Maria  Madre,  and  several 
others  were  seen  during  the  first  half  of  the  month,  after  which  time 
they  disappeared.    These  birds  were  probably  stray  migrants,  for  there 
was  nothing  to  indicate  that  they  were  residents. 
Amazilia  graysoni  Lawr.     Grayson's  Humming  Bird. 

Amazilla  f/raysoni  Lawr.,  Ann.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.,  N.  Y.,  VIII,  p.  404, 1867. 
Pyrrhopha-na  yraysoni  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  283, 1871; 
Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  292, 1874. 

Very  common  on  the  islands.  They  were  seen  almost  everywhere 
darting  about  the  less  luxuriant  parts  of  the  forest  hunting  for  flowers, 
and  now  and  then  stopping  on  a  twig  in  some  low  tree  top  to  rest  or 
arrange  their  plumage.  They  were  among  the  numerous  leathered 
visitors  to  the  little  flower  garden  at  the  custom-house  on  Maria  Madre 
where  they  were  very  confiding,  and  would  carry  on  their  search  for  food 
among  the  flowers  quite  indifferent  to  one's  presence.  These  hum- 
ming birds  are  very  pugnacious,  as  the  following  incident  recorded  by 
Colonel  Grayson  well  illustrates :  "  Sometimes  combats  between  them 
become  of  a  desperate  nature.  One  day  while  watching  a  number  of 
them  in  active  motion  around  some  tobacco  flowers  (of  which  they  seem 
to  be  very  fond)  two  fine  males,  after  darting  at  each  other  for  some 
time,  at  length  came  to  a  deathly  struggle,  high  above  my  head;  they 
finally  clinched  each  other,  each  having  one  of  the  mandibles  of  the 
other  in  his  mouth,  at  the  same  time  scratching  with  their  little  claws, 
and  using  their  wings  with  the  greatest  force,  and  in  this  situation, 
whirling  round  and  round,  they  fell  to  the  ground  near  my  feet.  During 
this  terrible  conflict,  in  which  passion  and  desperation  were  exhibited, 
I  observed  them  for  a  few  seconds  and  then  gently  placed  my  hat  over 
both.  Even  after  they  were  thus  captured,  and  I  held  one  in  each 
hand,  they  evidenced  a  desire  to  continue  the  war." 

The  same  author  records  having  seen  these  hummers  dart  upon  and 
capture  little  flies  in  the  manner  of  a  flycatcher,  and  found  their  crops 
full  of  minute  insects.  This  I  can  corroborate  from  my  own  observations. 

Upon  comparing  a  series  of  8  specimens  of  Amazilia  graysoni  with  an 
equal  number  of  A.  cinnamomea  the  general  style  of  coloration  is  seen 
to  be  very  similiar,  yet  the  differences  between  the  two  forms  are  so 
constant  it  seems  advisable  to  consider  them  specifically  distinct.  The 
dorsal  surface  of  A.  graysoni  is  a  more  dingy  green  with  less  coppery 
iridescence  than  in  cinnamomea;  the  bronze  tips  of  the  tail  feathers 
are  less  uniform,  and  the  extreme  points  sometimes  terminate  with  a 
little  cinnamon  spot;  the  cinnamon  of  the  lower  surface  is  considerably 
darker.  There  is  also  a  well  marked  and  constant  difference  in  size — 
graysoni  being  the  larger,  as  shown  by  the  following  averages: 


46 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA 
Measurements  of  Amazilia  yraysoni  and  A.  cinnamomea. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Winjr- 

Tail. 

Cul- 
men. 

Amazilia    ra  soni 

Maria  Madre  Island    

ad.  cf 

4 

68.8 

42.6 

25 

Am     'li     '           ni 

do 

ad    ? 

4 

65  9 

43  4 

<>5  4 

A         T 

"Western  Mexico  

ad.  cf 

7 

57.9 

36.6 

22 

A        ili'  cinnamomea 

do 

a<l    ? 

1 

53 

32  5 

23 

lache  lawrencei  Ridgway.     Lawrence's  Humming  Bird. 

Circe  latirostris  Graysou,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  282, 1871. 
lache  lawrencei  (Berlepsch,  Ms.)  Ridgway,  Man.  N.  Am.  Birds,  p.  320, 1887. 

Like  the  preceding  species  this  is  a  common  and  generally  distrib- 
uted bird,  and  was  found  on  all  the  islands.  Like  Grayson's  hum- 
ming birds,  they  were  common  about  the  flower  garden  at  the  custom 
house  on  Maria  Madre.  Colonel  Graysou  found  its  nest  on  Maria 
Madre  and  describes  it  as  follows:  "The  elegant  little  structure  I 
found  attached  to  a  slender  twig,  and  shaded  with  its  leaves,  about 
5  feet  from  the  ground.  The  situation  was  fronting  the  sea,  but  a  few 
paces  from  the  water's  edge,  where  the  first  beams  of  the  morning  sun 
dissolved  the  dews.  Its  form  is  cup  shaped,  and  composed  of  the  down 
of  the  silk  cotton  tree  (Eriodendron)  intermingled  with  the  down  of 
<TEner  plants  and  spider  webs,  the  whole  exterior  neatly  studded  with 

Diminutive  lichens;  it  contained  two  newly  hatched  young,  but  little 

larger  than  flies." 

In  general  appearance  lache  lawrencei  closely  resembles  I.  latirostris.1 
The  dorsal  surfaces  of  the  males  are  nearly  the  same  color,  but  the 
upper  tail  coverts  of  lawrencei  are  grayish  instead  of  green,  as  in  lati- 
rostris; their  lower  surface  is  a  darker,  duller  green;  the  blue-throat 
patch  is  nearly  obsolete  and  replaced  by  an  extension  of  the  green  of 
the  neck;  the  under-tail  coverts  are  darker  brown. 

The  females  of  lawrencei  differ  mainly  from  those  of  latirostris  in  the 
clearer,  brighter  green  of  the  dorsal  surface  and  darker  under-tail 
coverts.  As  the  differences  between  the  two  birds  seem  to  be  fairly 
constant,  although  not  very  striking,  it  is  perhaps  advisable  to  treat 
them  as  species  until  more  material  proves  the  contrary. 

The  type  of  I.  latirostris  formed  part  of  the  Bullock  collection  and 
probably  came  from  the  southern  end  of  the  table-land  near  the  Valley 
of  Mexico.  The  following  measurements  show  the  differences  in  size : 

1  lache  latirostris  undoubtedly  occurs  on  the  islands  as  a  straggler.  About  midway 
on  our  return  to  the  coast  a  hummer  passed  close  to  the  side  of  the  boat,  coming 
from  the  direction  of  San  Bias  and  heading  in  a  direct  line  for  the  islands.  As  this 
wanderer  passed  I  had  a  close  view  and  identified  it  as  /.  latirostris. 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 

Measurements  of  lache  lawrencei  and  I.  latirostria. 


47 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 

nifii. 

Maria  Madre  Island  

ad.  cf 

3 

52.3 

32.6 

18  8 

do 

ad  ? 

4 

51  2 

29  2 

20  2 

lacbe  latirostriB  

Southern  table-lands,  Mexico  
do 

ad.rf 

ad   5 

5 
1 

54.2 
52 

33 
33 

21.9 
23 

, 

Platypsaris  aglaiee  insularis  (Ridg.)     Grayson's  Becard. 

Hadrostomus  aglaia-  var.  affinis  Graysou,  I'roc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  279, 

1871;  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  289,  1874. 
I'latypsaris  insularis  Ridgway,  Man.  N.  Am.  Birds,  p.  325, 1887. 

The  rose-throated  becard  was  not  common  and  only  three  specimens 
were  taken,  all  on  Maria  Madre.  They  were  found  in  the  heavier 
forest  on  the  slopes  well  back  from  the  coast,  and  nothing  unusual  was 
noted  in  regard  to  their  habits.  They  probably  occur  on  Maria  Mag 
dalena  and  perhaps  on  Maria  Cleofa.  A  considerable  series  of  speci- 
mens from  various  parts  of  Mexico  shows  that  a  single  species  of  rose- 
breasted  becard  ranges  over  a  large  part  of  Mexico  and  has  developed 
four  geographical  subspecies.  The  ranges  of  these  four  forms  may  be 
denned  as  follows : 

Platypsaris  aglaice  (Lafr.).  Eastern  Mexico  from  northern  Tamau- 
lipas  south  along  basal  slopes  of  the  Cordillera  of  Vera  Cruz  and 
Tabasco  to  arid  parts  of  Yucatan.  (Type  from  vicinity  of  Jalapa,  Vera 
Cruz.) 

Platypsaris  aglaice  sumiclirasti  Nelson.  Humid  lowlands  of  Vera 
Cruz,  and  thence  southward  in  similar  country  nearly  or  quite  to  Guate- 
mala. (Type  from  Otatitlau,  Vera  Cruz.) 

Platypsaris  aglaice  albiventris  (Lawr.).  West  coast  of  Mexico  from 
the  Isthmus  of  Tehauutepec  to  southern  Arizona,  ranging  along  river 
valleys  into  the  interior  of  western  Mexico.  (Type  Irom  Plains  of 
Colima  ) 

Platypsaris  aglaice  insularis  (Ridg.).  Tres  Marias  Islands.  (Type 
from  Maria  Madre  Island.) 

Typical  specimens  of  insular  is  are  much  darker  than  typical  examples 
of  albiventris.  Specimens  from  the  coast  lowlands  about  San  Bias  are 
intermediate  in  color.  The  island  birds,  however,  may  usually  be  dis- 
tinguished by  their  smaller  bills.  Back  from  the  coast  of  Tepic, 
especially  in  the  arid  river  canyons  at  Bolanos  and  near  Guadalajara, 
only  typical  specimens  of  albiventris  were  found.  On  the  eastern  side 
of  Mexico  these  two  forms  are  paralleled  by  the  pale  bird  of  the  foot 
hills  and  adjacent  interior  (aglaice)  and  the  darker  one  of  the  coast 
lowlands  (sumiehrasti).  The  color  of  extreme  specimens  of  albiventris 
is  very  different  from  that  of  aglaice  and  insularis,  but  among  the  series 
from  western  Mexico,  where  albiventris  has  its  home,  are  various  inter- 
mediate stages,  some  specimens  approaching  very  closely  to  both  the 


48 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


forms  just  named.  Some  specimens  of  insularis  are  much  nearer 
typical  aglaice  in  color  than  albiventris.  Females  of  insularis  are  more 
distinct  from  those  of  aglaice  than  the  males,  owing  to  their  generally 
grayer  backs,  but  even  this  is  not  a  constant  character.  The  only 
character  of  insularis  that  is  fairly  constant  is  the  smaller  bill;  a  curi- 
ous development,  since  there  is  a  general  tendency  to  an  increase  in 
size  of  bill  among  Tres  Marias  birds. 

Measurement?  of  Platypsaris  aglaice  and  its  races  in  Mexico. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 
men. 

Tarsus. 

Platypaaris  aglaise.  .  . 

Eastern  Mexico   

ad.  d1 

3 

94.3 

72.3 

16 

21.8 

Platypsaris     aglaise 

Otatitlan,  Vera  Cruz  

ad.cT 

3 

8P.6 

68.3 

16.3 

22 

sumichrasti. 

Platypsaris     aglaiae 

Plains  of  Colima  and  Bolanos, 

ad-d1 

4 

90.5 

67.5 

15.8 

21.6 

albiventris. 

Jalisco. 

Platypsaris     aglaiae 

Maria  Madre  Island  

ad.rf 

3 

87 

66.8 

14.3 

22.1 

insularis. 

do  

ad.  ? 

3 

88 

66.6 

15 

22.3 

insularis. 

Intermediates      be- 

Coast near  San  Bias,  Tepic  

ad.rf 

3 

89.8 

64.3 

15.3 

22.3 

tween  P.   a.   albi- 

ventris and  P.   a. 

insularis. 

Tyrannus  melancholicus  couchi  (Baird.)     Couch's  Kingbird. 

On  Maria  Madre  Island  ten  or  a  dozen  of  these  birds  were  seen  and 
appeared  to  be  resident.  Two  or  three  were  noted  on  Maria  Magdalena, 
and  others  on  Maria  Cleofa,  where  they  were  most  numerous.  They 
were  always  found  near  the  seashore.  The  specimens  obtained  seem 
to  be  identical  with  those  from  the  adjacent  mainland.  Asa  rule  birds 
from  northeastern  Mexico,  the  type  locality,  are  lighter  than  those  from 
western  Mexico,  but  this  difference  is  not  constant. 

Myiarchus  mexicaiius  magister  Ridgway.     Arizona  Crested  Flycatcher. 

Although  resident  on  all  the  islands,  birds  from  the  Tres  Marias  are 
almost  identical  with  those  from  the  mainland,  and  nothing  distinctive 
was  noted  in  their  habits.  They  frequent  the  thinner  parts  of  the 
scrubby  forests  which  cover  most  of  the  slopes,  but  were  most  numer- 
ous within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  sea.  They  kept  among  the  low  trees, 
usually  perching  on  tops  of  bushes  or  on  branches  within  10  or  15  feet 
of  the  ground,  where  they  watched  for  passing  insects. 

Myiarchus  lawrencei  olivascens  Ridgway.     Olivaceous  Flycatcher. 

This  was  much  more  abundant  than  the  preceding  species,  and  one 
of  the  commonest  and  most  generally  distributed  resident  birds  on  the 
islands.  Like  the  preceding,  it  was  most  numerous  in  the  scrubby 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


49 


forest  within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  seashore  and  kept  among  the  branches 
of  trees  and  bushes  within  10  or  15  feet  of  the  ground.  Its  habits 
were  the  same  as  on  the  mainland. 

A  careful  comparison  of  series  from  the  islands  and  the  mainland 
shows  but  little  difference.  The  island  birds  are  slightly  grayer  on  the 
back,  the  bills  average  a  little  longer  and  wider,  and  the  tarsus  is  longer, 
but  these  differences  are  too  slight  to  warrant  subspecific  recognition. 
Unfortunately  the  type  of  this  subspecies  is  based  on  a  winter  specimen 
from  Santa  Eugenia,  Oaxaca,  near  the  border  of  Chiapas.  This  leaves 
the  summer  range  of  typical  birds  in  doubt. 

Below  are  averages  of  specimens  from  the  islands  and  the  mainland: 

Measurements  of  Myiarchus  lawrencei  olirascens. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 
ad.? 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 

iii.  11. 

Tarsus. 

Myiarchux      lawrencei 

Tres  Mariaa  Islands  

7 

76.3 

74.8 

16.8 

19.7 

olivascent. 

Myiarchus     lawrencei 

Northwest  Mexico,  southern 

ad.? 

7 

7(5.8 

74.7 

16.1 

18.8 

olivatcent. 

Arizona. 

Contopus  richardsonii  (Swains).     Western  Wood  Pewee. 

During  the  first  ten  days  of  May  these  birds  were  not  uncommon  in 
some  of  the  denser  growths  of  small  trees  along  the  lower  slopes  of  Maria 
Madre.  None  were  seen  on  the  other  islands  and  they  all  disappeared 
a  little  later,  showing  that  they  were  merely  stray  migrants.  The 
single  specimen  taken  is  identical  with  others  from  the  western  United 
States. 

Empidonax  difficilis  Baird.     Western  Flycatcher. 

These  birds  were  very  sparingly  distributed  on  the  Tres  Marias. 
They  were  seen  on  Maria  Madre  soon  after  our  arrival,  and  on  May  27 
one  was  taken  on  Maria  Magdaleua.  They  were  usually  found  in  dense 
thickets  and  along  shady  canyons.  Colonel  Graysou  records  them 
as  common,  but  they  undoubtedly  occur  only  as  winter  visitants  and 
migrants. 
Ornithion  imberbe  (Sclater).  Beardless  Flycatcher. 

Two  specimens  were  taken  and  a  few  others  seen  early  in  May  on 
Maria  Madre;  none  were  seen  later,  and  they  probably  occur  merely  as 
stragglers  during  migration.  They  move  about  like  small  vireos  in  the 
tops  of  low  trees  and  in  large  bushes,  searching  the  outer  twigs  for 
insects  and  flying  out  every  now  and  then  to  capture  one  on  the  wing. 

A  series  of  specimens  from  various  localities  on  both  coasts  and  the 
interior  of  Mexico,  the  Tres  Marias  Islands,  and  southern  Arizona  fails 
to  show  any  tangible  characters  to  distinguish  0.  imberbe  ridyicayi 
from  typical  0.  imberbe. 
13950— No.  14 i 


50  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

Myiopagis  placeiis  (Sclater).     Golden  Crowned  Flycatcher. 

In  the  National  Museum  collection  is  a  typical  specimen  of  M. 
plaeens,  taken  by  Colonel  Gray  son  in  January,  1865,  on  the  Tres  Marias 
Islands,  which  agrees  perfectly  in  size  and  color  with  the  large  dark 
birds  from  the  mountains  of  Jalisco,  on  the  adjacent  mainland.  Eight 
specimens  of  both  sexes  from  various  localities  in  Mexico  and  Central 
America  average  as  follows:  Wing,  68.2;  tail,  65.8;  culmen,  11.2; 
tarsus,  19.1. 

Myiopagis  placeiis  minimus  Nelson.     Little  Golden  Crowned  Flycatcher. 

Elainea  placens  Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.   Hist.,  XIV,  p.  279,  1871;  Mein. 
Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  286,  1874. 

Myiopagis  placens  minimus  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  9,  1898. 
Early  in  May  a  few  of  these  birds  were  seen  in  the  low  scrubby 
forest  near  the  shore  on  Maria  Madre,  but  by  the  middle  of  the  month 
they  had  retired  to  the  heavily  wooded  canyons  and  slopes  above  600 
or  800  feet.  They  were  common  among  the  trees  bordering  the  head  of 
a  large  canyon  in  the  middle  of  the  island,  where  a  small  spring  formed 
the  center  of  attraction  for  many  birds.  Like  their  mainland  relative, 
they  frequent  the  tree  tops,  where  they  may  be  seen  running  in  and 
out  among  the  ends  of  the  branches  and  fluttering  about  the  tips  of 
twigs  in  the  manner  of  some  warblers.  They  frequently  hop  from  twig 
to  twig,  with  their  tails  uptilted  like  gnatcatchers,  but  their  dull  garb 
is  usually  sufficient  to  identify  them.  When  high  up  in  the  tops  of  tall 
trees,  however,  their  form  and  habits  are  so  warbler-like  that  they  can 
not  be  distinguished  from  other  small  birds.  A  few  individuals  were 
seen  on  Maria  Magdalena,  but  none  on  Maria  Cleofa. 

Corvus  mexicanus  Gmelin.     Mexican  Crow. 

Two  residents  on  Maria  Madre  reported  that  at  long  intervals  they 
had  seen  stray  crows  on  the  island.  My  informants  were  familiar  with 
the  bird  on  the  mainland,  where  it  is  extremely  numerous  about  San 
Bias,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  correctness  of  their  identifi- 
cation. 

Cissolopha  beecheyi  (Vigors).     Beechey's  Jay. 

A  specimen  of  this  bird  in  the  National  Museum  collection,  obtained 
by  Xantus,  is  labeled  "Tres  Marias  Islands,  October  15,  1859".  This 
record,  however,  is  doubtful. 

Icterus  graysoni  Cassin.     Grayson's  Oriole. 

Icterus  graysoni  Cassin,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  p.  48, 1867 ;  Mem.  Boston  Soc. 

Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  280,  1874. 

These  beautiful  birds  are  very  common  on  all  of  the  islands.  Although 
more  numerous  about  the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre  than  elsewhere, 
they  were  common  in  the  thin,  low  forest  all  about  the  lower  parts  of 
the  islands  and  were  very  unsuspicious.  During  my  excursions  through 
the  woods  they  came  again  and  again  and  alighted  on  low  branches  of 
shrubs  or  trees  beside  the  old  log  roads  and  peered  at  me  with  inno- 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


51 


cently  inquiring  eyes  as  if  wondering  at  the  strange  creature  newly 
arrived  in  their  haunts,  but  evidently  quite  unconscious  of  any  feeling 
that  the  newcomer  might  be  dangerous.  Such  confidence  made  it  very 
trying  work  to  collect  many  of  these  birds. 

They  came  familiarly  about  the  houses  and  yards  at  the  settlement 
on  Maria  Madre.  A  number  of  them  made  several  visits  each  day  to 
the  verandas  and  shrubbery  about  the  custom-house,  and  added  greatly 
to  the  attractive  surroundings  by  their  bright  colors  and  frank  uncon- 
cern. They  searched  for  insects  among  the  shrubs  and  small  trees  in 
the  patio  or  court,  came  to  the  veranda  railing,  down  upon  the  floor, 
and  along  the  walls,  where  plump  spiders  furnished  many  choice  morsels. 
Several  bags  of  corn  piled  against  the  wall  on  one  side  of  the  veranda 
were  infested  with  weevils,  which  could  be  found  creeping  about  on  the 
outside  of  the  bags.  A  pair  of  orioles  was  in  the  habit  of  regularly 
visiting  the  veranda  and  soon  discovered  these  insects.  They  walked 
all  over  the  bags,  sometimes  upside  down  or  on  one  side  like  a  nuthatch, 
and  pried  into  every  spot  likely  to  contain  a  little  beetle.  They  were 
frequently  seen  also  clinging  to  the  stems  of  the  giant  cactus  ( Cereus) 
and  feeding  on  the  juicy  fruit. 

As  Colonel  Grayson  has  recorded,  the  nests  of  these  orioles  are  about 
a  foot  in  length  and  of  the  usual  purse  shape.  They  are  made  of  fibers 
of  grass  or  maguey  plants,  lined  with  silk  cotton  and  swung  near  the 
end  of  some  slender  branch  overhanging  a  clear  space,  usually  from  18 
to  35  feet  above  the  ground. 

Graysou's  oriole  is  evidently  an  offshoot  from  the  wide  ranging 
Icterus  pustulatus  of  the  adjacent  coast,  but  has  become  sufficiently 
distinct  to  rank  as  a  species.  Like  so  many  of  the  island  birds,  it  is 
larger  than  its  mainland  relative.  The  yellow  is  much  lighter  than 
on  /.  pustulatus  and  lacks  most  of  the  intense  orange  that  is  so 
conspicuous  on  many  of  the  latter  birds.  Some  adult  males  of  graysoni 
have  the  back  entirely  bright  yellow,  while  the  backs  of  others  are 
marked  with  a  few  narrow  black  shaft  streaks.  The  females  of  gray- 
soni are  more  greenish-yellow  and  have  but  faint  traces  of  the  orange 
shade  present  in  typical  pustulatus. 

The  following  averages  show  the    relative  dimensions  of  the  two 

species : 

Measurements  of  Icterus  tjraysoni  and  I .  pustulatus. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 

IIIC-M. 

Tarsus. 

soni 

Maria  Madre  Island 

ad  d1 

4 

104 

89  7 

25  4 

26.7 

..  do               

ad.  9 

4 

96.7 

84.2 

25.1 

26.2 

ad  cf 

4 

100  2 

91 

21 

25.6 

do 

ad.  ? 

4 

91.7 

81.5 

20.2 

24.5 

52  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

Quiscalus  macrourus  Swainson.     Great-tailed  Grackle. 

Two  of  these  grackles  were  shot  the  latter  part  of  May  on  a  level 
bit  of  ground  bordering  the  shore  in  front  of  the  settlement  on  Maria 
Madre.  They  were  the  only  ones  seen  and  were  undoubtedly  strag- 
glers from  the  mainland  where  they  are  abundant  and  resident  near 
San  Bias. 
Astragalinus  psaltria  mexicanus  (Swainson).  Mexican  Goldfinch. 

Rather  common  and  apparently  resident,  but  nothing  distinctive  was 
observed  in  their  habits.  On  Maria  Madre  they  were  usually  found  on 
the  lower  slopes  and  were  most  numerous  about  the  settlement.  Ten 
specimens  fail  to  show  any  characters  distinguishing  the  island  birds 
from  those  of  the  mainland. 
Cardinalis  cardiualis  mariae  Nelson.  Tres  Marias  Cardinal. 

Cardinalis  rirginianus  Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  281, 1871. 

Cardinalis  rirginianus  var.  igneiis  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  275, 
1874. 

Cardinalis  cardinalis  marite  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  10,  1898. 
Cardinals  were  very  common  on  Maria  Madre  and  not  uncommon 
on  the  rest  of  the  group.  No  one  ever  molests  them,  and  they  were 
especially  abundant  about  the  settlement,  where  they  came  into  the 
yards  and  around  the  houses  in  the  most  familiar  way.  Several  pairs 
could  be  found  at  any  time  during  a  short  walk  in  the  scrubby  thickets 
along  the  lower  slopes  of  the  island.  While  we  were  hunting  in  the 
low  woods  it  was  a  common  occurrence  for  them  to  come  very  near,  and 
after  looking  at  the  intruders  with  mild  curiosity  for  a  short  time,  to 
move  off  through  the  bushes  in  quiet  pursuit  of  their  usual  occupations. 
At  other  times,  while  engaged  in  search  of  food  among  the  fallen  leaves 
they  would  scarcely  notice  one  as  he  walked  slowly  by  withm  three  or 
four  paces. 

Piranga  ludoviciana  (Wilson).     Louisiana  Tanager. 

During  the  first  half  of  May  these  tan agers  were  not  uncommon  near 
the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre,  but  were  not  seen  on  the  other  islands. 
Those  shot  the  first  of  the  month  were  in  fair  condition,  and,  several 
pairs  being  seen,  it  was  at  first  considered  a  resident  species.  Later, 
when  others  were  secured,  it  was  noted  that  they  were  more  and 
more  emaciated,  until  those  killed  about  the  middle  of  the  month  were 
so  excessively  thin,  it  was  surprising  that  they  had  continued  to  live. 
About  this  time  the  last  ones  disappeared,  no  doubt  dying  from  star- 
vation. From  these  observations  it  appeared  that  the  birds  must 
have  strayed  to  the  island  during  migration,  about  the  last  of  April 
or  first  of  May,  and  were  unable  to  find  a  proper  food  supply.  At  the 
same  time  they  feared  to  start  over  the  sea  for  an  invisible  shore  and  so 
perished.  Another  member  of  the  genus,  Piranga  bidentata  flammea,  is 
resident  in  large  numbers  on  the  islands  and  found  an  abundant  food 
supply,  as  was  shown  by  thefr  being  among  the  fattest  birds  collected 
during  the  time  that  P.  ludoviciana  was  dying  of  starvation. 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  53 

Piranga  bidentata  flammea  (Ridgway).     Tres  Marias  Tanager. 

Pyranf/a  lidentata  Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  281,  1871;  Mem. 

Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  274  (part),  1874. 
Piramja  flammea  Ridgway,  Man.  N.  Am.  Birds,  p.  457, 1887. 

Several  species  of  birds  were  very  much  at  home  about  the  settle- 
ment on  Maria  Madre,  and  among  these  the  brilliant  Tres  Marias  tana- 
ger was  one  of  the  most  numerous.  Like  Grayson's  oriole,  they  came 
daily  to  the  veranda  railing  and  investigated  the  shrubs  and  small 
trees  in  the  court  and  flower  garden  at  the  custom-house.  These  birds 
were  common  and  generally  distributed  in  the  scrubby  forest  on  the 
lower  parts  of  Maria  Madre  and  Maria  Magdalena,  and  probably  occur 
on  Maria  Cleofa,  although  none  were  seen  there.  Their  habits  were 
very  much  like  those  of  Piranga  bidentata  on  the  mainland.  On  the 
island,  however,  these  tanagers  were  most  numerous  within  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  of  sea  level,  while  their  relatives  of  the  mainland  inhab- 
ited oak  forests  at  an  altitude  of  2,000  or  3,000  feet.  They  have  a 
short  warbling  song,  which  is  similar  to,  but  less  musical  than,  that  of 
the  mainland  bird.  They  were  seen  hunting  for  food  in  the  small  tree 
tops  of  the  scantier  forest  growths  rather  than  in  the  more  densely 
wooded  areas  and  were  very  fat. 

P.  bidentata  was  described  by  Swainson  from  a  specimen  in  the 
Bullock  collection,  taken  at  Temascaltepec,  southwest  of  the  Valley  of 
Mexico,  on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  mountains.  It  was  described  as 
having  the  'head,  neck,  and  under  parts  golden'.  This  style  of  colora- 
tion is  shown  in  specimens  from  various  localities  in  Jalisco,  Siualoa, 
and  the  Tres  Marias  Islands.  Judging  from  specimens  in  the  National 
Museum  and  from  the  results  of  recent  work,  tauagers  of  this  descrip- 
tion are  only  found  north  of  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  on  the  arid 
western  slope  of  Mexico,  and  are  not  common.  The  Tres  Marias 
tanager  is  closely  related  to  typical  P.  bidentata,  and  the  males  are  so 
closely  alike  in  color  that  it  requires  careful  scrutiny  to  find  distin- 
guishing characters.  Tn  P.  flammea  the  wliite  tips  of  the  greater 
and  lesser  wing  coverts  are  larger  and  clearer  white  than  in  P. 
bidentata,  thus  rendering  the  two  wing  bands  more  conspicuous.  The 
white  spots  on  the  outer  rectrices  are  smaller  and  confined  to  the  inner 
webs,  except  at  the  extreme  tip;  in  P.  bidentata  these  marks  occupy 
most  of  the  terminal  third  of  the  feathers.  In  general  color  of  the 
body  the  two  forms  are  indistinguishable.  The  bill  of  P.  flammea 
averages  longer  and  is  decidedly  more  swollen,  especially  toward  the 
tip;  this  difference  is  one  of  the  most  important  characters  of  the 
island  form.  The  female  of  P.  flammea  can  be  distinguished  only  by 
the  larger  bill  and  the  restriction  of  the  white  spot  on  the  outer  pair 
of  tail  feathers. 


54 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


The  following  measurements  give  the  averages  of  the  two  forms: 
Measurements  of  Plranga  bldentata  and  Piranga  b.  Jlammea. 


Num- 

Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

ber  of 
speci- 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 

iin-ii. 

Tarsus. 

mens. 

Piranga  bidentata  flammea. 

Maria  Madre  Island  .  . 

ad.  <f 

6 

98 

81 

18.1 

23.7 

„      do  

ad.  ? 

4 

95 

78.7 

18.4 

22.5 

ad    cT 

3 

98 

79.3 

17.3 

21.  1 

ad.  ? 

2 

96 

79 

17 

21.5 

Hirundo  erythrogaster  Bodd.     Barn  Swallow. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  on  Maria  Madre  a  few  swallows,  supposed  to 
be  this  species,  were  seen  by  my  assistant,  but  none  were  taken.  They 
were  undoubtedly  stray  migrants,  for  none  were  seen  afterwards. 

Vireo  flavoviridis  forreri  (Madarasz).     Ferrer's  Vireo. 

Vireo  forreri  Madarfisz,  Term&jzetrajzi  Fiizetek,  IX,  pt.  I,  p.  85,  1885. 

Although  Ferrer's  vireo  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  and  widely  dis- 
tributed species  on  the  islands,  yet  it  does  not  appear  in  Gray  son's 
list.  It  was  very  common  in  the  small  trees  in  the  patio  of  the  custom- 
house and  elsewhere  about  the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre.  Like  its 
mainland  relative,  its  habits  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  red  eyed 
vireo.  Its  favorite  range  was  in  the  smaller  growth  of  forest  along  the 
lower  slopes,  from  near  the  sea  up  to  an  altitude  of  600  or  700  feet,  but 
some  were  seen  up  near  the  summits  of  Maria  Madre  and  Maria 
Magdalena.  Next  to  the  Tres  Marias  warbler,  Ferrer's  vireo  was  prob- 
ably the  most  abundant  bird  on  Maria  Madre,  and  its  restless  habits 
while  fluttering  and  peering  about  in  search  of  food  among  the  small 
tree  tops  added  greatly  to  the  animation  of  the  forest. 

Vireo  forreri  is  evidently  only  a  geographical  race  of  Vireo  flavor  i- 
ridis.  It  has  the  same  color  pattern,  but  the  ashy  crown  is  paler  and 
the  dusky  supraorbital  stripe  usually  obsolescent ;  the  latter  is  one  of 
the  main  characters  upon  which  forreri  was  originally  based,  but  is  not 
constant.  Some  specimens  from  the  islands  have  this  stripe  as  strongly 
marked  as  dull-colored  individuals  of  flavoviridis  proper,  although  none 
have  it  so  strongly  marked  as  some  of  the  latter.  The  two  forms  are 
alike  on  the  underparts,  and  the  greater  size  of  forreri  is  the  most 
constant  and  striking  character. 

Average  measurements  of  17  adult  males  of  Vireo  flavomridis  forreri: 
Wing,  84.3;  tail,  59.3;  culraen,  15.1;  tarsus,  20.1.  Averages  of  Vireo 
flavoviridis  (from  mainland  of  Mexico):  Ad.  $  (9  specimens),  wing,  79.2; 
tail,  55.1;  culmeu,  14.3;  tarsus,  18.7.  Ad.  9  (3  specimens),  wing,  76.C; 
tail,  50.6;  culmeu,  14.1;  tarsus,  18.5. 

Vireo  hypochryseus  sordidus  Nelson.     Tres  Marias  Vireo. 

Vireo  liypochryseus  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  281, 1871 ;  Lawr., 

Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  272, 1874. 

Vireo  hypochrysfus  sordidus  Nelson.  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  10, 1898. 
A  few  of  these  vireos  were  seen  in  the  thin  forest  on  the  lower  slopes 
of  Maria  Madre,  but  were  not  common.     They  were  especially  numer- 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  55 

ous  among  the  trees  and  tall  bushes  about  the  few  springs  and  little 
streams  uear  the  summit.  A  few  were  also  seen  in  similar  places  on 
Maria  Magdalena.  Vireo  f.  forreri  occupies  the  lower  slopes,  while 
sordidus  occurs  mainly  higher  up,  the  ranges  of  the  two  birds  being 
complementary.  The  Tres  Marias  vireo  is  usually  found  at  a  medium 
height  among  the  foliage  of  thick-topped  trees,  rarely  ascending  to  the 
extreme  top.  It  was  also  often  seen  in  the  dense,  tall  undergrowth 
near  water. 

Compsothlypis  insularis  (Lawr.).     Tres  Marias  Parula. 

Parula  insularis  Lawr.,  Ann.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.,  N.  Y.,  X,  p.  4,  1871;  Grayson,  Proc. 
Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  pp.278,  300, 1871;  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  II,  p.  269, 1874. 

These  pretty  little  warblers  were  the  most  abundant  of  the  land  birds 
on  the  Tres  Marias.  A  few  of  them  were  also  founc  on  Isabel  Island, 
and  the  only  Compsothlypis  taken  on  the  mainland  at  San  Bias  belongs 
to  this  species.  They  frequent  the  thin  forest  of  the  lower  slopes  on 
the  Tres  Marias,  and  dozens  of  them  were  seen  during  every  visit  to  the 
woods,  and  they  were  seen  in  smaller  numbers  on  the  higher  slopes. 
Many  also  came  familiarly  into  the  small  trees  and  shrubbery  about  the 
houses  at  the  settlement.  They  were  always  busily  at  work  in  pursuit 
of  insects  among  the  branches,  and  searched  the  bark  of  small  shrubs 
near  the  ground  as  well  as  the  branches  at  the  tops  of  large  trees. 
They  were  rather  common  in  the  scrubby  growth  of  stunted  trees  on 
Isabel,  and  were  very  abundant  in  the  tree  tops  of  the  heavy  forest  on 
the -mainland  between  San  Bias  and  Santiago.  Their  song  is  weak  and 
lisping  and  not  at  all  musical. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  a  good  series  of  specimens  will  demonstrate 
that  Compsothlypis  pitiayumi  of  northern  South  America  is  represented 
in  Central  America  and  Mexico  by  a  number  of  geographical  races 
rather  than  by  the  closely  related  species  now  recognized — C.  inomata, 
C.pulchra,  C.  nigrilora,  and  C.  insularis.  Even  the  imperfect  series  at 
hand  shows  signs  of  intergradation,  but  treating  C.  insularis  as  a 
species  for  the  present,  its  differences  from  its  nearest  relative,  C. 
pulchra,  are  set  forth  in  the  following  notes.  C.  pulchra  was  the  only 
form  found  on  the  mainland  back  of  the  low  coast  plain,  on  the  tropical 
or  subtropical  slopes  of  the  mountains.  This  species  was  described 
from  Chihuahua,  and  appears  to  be  a  resident  of  the  lower  slopes  of 
the  Sierra  Mad  re,  ranging  from  Chihuahua  to  Tepie,  while  C.  insularis 
is  characteristic  of  the  hot  lowlands  on  the  coast  near  San  Bias  and  the 
outlying  islands. 

C.  insultiris  is  larger  than  C.  pulchra,  with  a  heavier  shading  of 
brown  along  the  flanks;  the  yellow  of  the  under  parts  is  duller  and 
more  generally  suffused  with  dull  orange  brown;  the  white  spots  on 
outer  tail  feathers  are  decidedly  larger,  and  the  bluish  of  the  dorsal 
surface  is  grayer.  In  the  small  series  examined,  difference  in  size 
seems  to  be  the  most  constant  character.  Following  are  average  meas- 
urements of  the  two  species : 


56 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 
Mcasiinmenta  of  Compsolhlypis  insularis  and  f'.  pulchra. 


Num- 

Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

ber  of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 
men. 

Tarsus. 

Compsothlypis  insularis  .  .  . 

Maria  Madre  Island.. 

ad.  cT 

6' 

60 

49.3 

10.4 

19.9 

Compsothlypis  insularis  .  .  . 

do  

ad.  $ 

4 

55.7 

47.5 

10 

19 

Compsotlilypis  pulchra  

Jalisco  and  Sinaloa  .  .  . 

ad.  d" 

3 

55.6 

42.3 

9.6 

17 

Compsothlypis  pulchra  

do  

ad.  $ 

1 

52 

41 

? 

17 

Dendroica  aestiva  rubiginosa  (Pallas).     Alaskan  Yellow  Warbler. 

Several  of  these  birds  were  taken  and  others  seen  about  the  settle- 
ment on  Maria  Madre.     They  were  evidently  stray  migrants,  and  most 
of  them  left  before  the  end  of  May. 
Dendroica  aestiva  morcomi  Coale.     Western  Yellow  Warbler. 

Among  the  yellow  warblers  taken  on  Maria  Madre  during  the  first 
half  of  May  were  two  specimens  referable  to  Dendroica  wativa  morcomi. 
Like  rubiginosa,  they  were  stray  migrants  which  had  wandered  out  of 
their  course  while  en  route  to  their  more  northern  breeding  grounds. 
They  were  found  about  weed  patches  and  shrubbery  in  the  settlement. 
Dendroica  auduboni  (Townsend).  Audubon's  Warbler. 

Two  of  these  birds  were  seen  during  the  first  half  of  May  about  the 
settlement  on  Maria  Madre,  and  May  30  a  specimen  was  taken  on 
Maria  Cleofa.     Like  the  yellow  warblers,  they  occur  merely  as  stray 
migrants  and  were  seen  only  near  the  seashore. 
Dendroica  townsendii  (Townsend).     Townseud's  Warbler. 

Two  or  three  of  these  warblers  were  seen  at  the  settlement  on  Maria 
Madre  between  the  8th  and  20th  of  May.  They  kept  about  the  weed 
patches  and  yards  for  several  days,  and  were  stray  migrants  like  the 
preceding  species. 

Granatellus  francescae  Baird.     Tres  Marias  Chat- Warbler. 

Granatellus  francescee  Bair.l,  Rev.  Am.  Birds,  p.  232,  1865;  Grayaon,  Proc.  Boston 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  278, 1871 ;  Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  270, 
1874. 

These  beautiful  birds  were  seen  only  on  Maria  Madre,  but  they  prob- 
ably occur  also  on  Maria  Magdalena,  where  the  conditions  are  equally 
favorable.  They  were  far  from  common,  and  inhabited  the  forest  on 
the  higher  slopes,  but  two  or  three  individuals,  evidently  wanderers, 
were  encountered  in  the  scrubby  forest  near  the  shore.  They  were 
usually  seen  on  the  ground  searching  for  food  among  low  underbrush 
and  weeds.  In  such  places  they  ran  about  among  the  thick  stems  of 
plants  and  matted  undergrowth,  springing  up  every  now  and  then  to 
a  twig  or  weed  stalk  a  foot  or  two  from  the  ground,  and  then  perhaps 
flitting  along  from  stem  to  stem  to  another  feeding  place  a  few  yards 
away.  When  thus  passing  through  the  undergrowth,  they  are  very 
conspicuous  and  attractive  objects,  owing  to  their  beautifully  contrasted 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


57 


black,  white,  and  rose-colored  plumage.  Their  habit  of  carrying  the 
tail  up-tilted  and  more  or  less  widely  spread  renders  them  still  more 
conspicuous.  It  is  doubtful  if  they  ascend  into  the  tops  of  trees,  as 
they  are  even  more  terrestrial  tliaii  their  relatives  the  chats. 

The  color  pattern  of  this  species  is  much  like  that  of  G.  renustus,  but 
the  black  collar  on  the  lower  side  of  the  neck  in  the  males  is  nearly 
obsolete,  being  represented  only  by  a  few  black  feathers,  the  red  or 
rose  colored  area  on  the  breast  and  chest  is  paler  and  more  restricted, 
the  postocular  white  stripe  larger  and  extending  across  the  nape  as  an 
indistinct  nuchal  band,  the  bluish  of  the  dorsal  surface  grayer,  and  the 
white  on  the  tail  more  extended.  The  females  are  browner  above  and 
paler  below.  G,  francescw  is  larger  than  G.  venustus,  as  shown  by  the 
following  averages : 

Measurements  of  Granatelliis  francescas  and  G.  renustus. 


Num- 

Name. 

Locality. 

Sox. 

ber  of 
speci- 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 

iii.  -M. 

Tarsus. 

mens. 

Granatellus  francescse  

Maria  Mad  re  Island.. 

ad.rf 

5 

65.8 

76.5 

12.2 

21 

Pnnif-pllus  franeesc'e 

do 

ad  ? 

2 

G3 

74  5 

12  ° 

21  5 

Granatellua  veunstus  

Guerrero  and  Oaxaca  . 

ad.d1 

2 

61.5 

66.5 

12 

19.7 

Praiiatellnft  veiinstim 

do 

ad  ? 

1 

58 

67 

12 

20  5 

Wilsoiiia  pusilla  pileolata  (Pall.).     Pileolatcd  Warbler. 

The  only  one  seen  was  taken  on  Maria  Cleofa  May  30.  It  was  in 
some  bushes  by  a  little  stream  near  the  seashore  and  was  evidently  a 
straggling  migrant. 

Mimus  polyglottos  (Linn.).     Mocking  Bird. 

A  few  mocking  birds  were  seen  on  Maria  Madre,  where  they  are  prob- 
ably resident  in  small  numbers.  They  were  found  only  on  the  lower 
slopes  near  the  sea.  The  two  specimens  secured  appear  to  be  identical 
with  others  from  the  adjacent  mainland. 

Thryothorus  lawrencii  (Ridgway).     Maria  Madre  Wren. 

TliryothornsfelixGrajsou,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  XIV,  p.  278,1871  (part); 
Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  II,  p.  268, 1874  (part). 

Thrtjotliorns  felix  (3  lawrencii  Ridgway,  Bull.  Nntt.  Orn.  Clnb,  III,  p.  10,  Jan.,  1878. 
The  song  of  this  wren  was  one  of  the  most  constant  and  pleasing  of 
the  woodland  notes  heard  on  Maria  Madre.  The  bird  was  extremely 
abundant  everywhere  in  the  undergrowth  ranging  from  the  shore  up 
to  the  higher  slopes.  Like  its  near  relatives,  it  is  a  restless  little  crea- 
ture, constantly  climbing  and  peering  about  in  the  thickets.  The  male 
stops  every  now  and  then  to  utter  his  song  and  then  continues  insect 
hunting.  When  in  a  musical  mood  he  takes  a  position  in  some  small 
shrub,  sometimes  on  its  summit  but  ofteuer  on  a  branch  at  one  side, 
and  there  pours  out  his  song  again  and  again  at  short  intervals.  Like 
many  other  birds  on  these  islands,  the  wren  was  V3ry  familiar  and  un- 


58 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


suspicious,  and  many  came  every  day  to  the  fences  and  shrubbery  around 
the  houses  at  the  settlement. 

A  series  of  Thryothorus  felix  from  the  mainland,  including  one  speci- 
men from  the  region  of  the  type  locality,  and  a  series  of  T.  lawrencii 
from  Maria  Madre,  show  sufficient  differences  to  warrant  giving  specific 
rank  to  lawrencii.  The  latter  differs  very  constantly  in  several  respects 
from  birds  of  the  mainland,  but  has  much  the  same  color  pattern.  The 
series  from  San  Bias  is  nearer  lawrencii  than  is  the  specimen  from  near 
the  type  locality  of  felix,  but  there  appears  to  be  no  crossing  of  the 
gap  between  the  two. 

The  following  measurements  show  the  relative  sizes  of  the  two 
species : 

Measurements  of  Thryothorns  lawrencii  and  T.  felix. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 
men. 

Tarsus. 

Thryothorns  lawrencii  
Thryothorus  lawrencii  

Maria  Madre  Island... 
do  

ad.rf 
ad.  ? 

3 

60 
57.1 

55.6 
54 

17.2 
16.8 

22 
21.4 

Thryothorus  felix  

Santiago,     Tepic     to 
Ometepec,  Guerrero, 
do 

ad.cf 
ad  ? 

2 
3 

57.5 
54  3 

55.5 
50  6 

16 
14  6 

21.5 
20  5 

Thryothorus  lawrencii  magdalenae  Nelson.     Magdalena  Wreii. 

Thryothorus  felix  Grayson  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  278,  1871  (part) ; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  268,  1874  (part). 
Thryothorns  lawrencii  maydalenw  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  11, 

1898. 

The  habits  and  distribution  of  this  wren  on  Maria  Magdalena  are 
the  same  as  those  of  T.  lawrencii  on  Maria  Madre.  No  one  lives  on 
Maria  Magdalena,  and  the  wrens  are  even  tamer  than  on  Maria  Madre. 
Their  confidence  was  shown  very  prettily  by  one  encountered  by  Mr. 
Goldman  in  the  dark  bottom  of  a  narrow  rocky  canyon  overhung  with 
heavy  forest.  He  saw  the  little  fellow  busily  searching  for  food  among 
the  fallen  leaves  along  the  base  of  a  low  cliff,  and  as  the  bird  seemed 
very  fearless  he  approached  quietly  but  in  full  view,  and  succeeded 
in  closing  his  hand  over  the  tiny  creature,  which  had  continued  its 
search  without  paying  the  slighest  attention.  The  bird  showed  but 
little  fright,  and  its  captor,  after  holding  it  a  few  moments,  stooped 
and  gently  opened  his  hand  to  let  it  escape.  The  wren  hopped  away  a 
few  feet,  arranged  its  plumage,  and  then  continued  feeding  with  the 
utmost  unconcern.  Mr.  Goldman  watched  it  for  a  few  minutes  and 
again  approached  slowly.  As  before  the  bird  paid  no  attention  until 
he  was  within  a  yard,  but  when  another  attempt  was  made  to  pick  it 
up,  hopped  away  a  few  feet  and  again  resumed  its  occupation.  This 
was  repeated  three  or  four  times  with  the  same  result,  until  finally  the 
bird  was  left  in  its  solitude. 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  59 

Melanotis  caerulescens  longirostris  Nelson.     Trea  Marias  Blue  Mockingbird. 

Melanotis  ccerulescens  Grayson  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  275,1871; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  266, 1874  (part). 
Melanoiis  ca-rulescens  longirostris  Nelson,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  p.  10 

These  fine  songsters  are  very  common  on  the  Tres  Marias.  They  keep 
in  the  thickets  and  low  trees  and  bushes  like  a  catbird  and  were 
especially  numerous  and  familiar  about  the  settlement  on  Maria  Madre. 
In  one  yard,  among  a  few  fruit  trees,  a  trough  was  kept  full  of  water, 
where  scores  of  blue  mockingbirds  came  daily  to  drink  and  would 
almost  allow  themselves  to  be  caught  by  hand.  Their  numbers  and 
general  distribution  make  them  among  the  most  noticeable  birds  on  the 
islands,  and  they  frequently  follow  one  with  much  curiosity.  Their  song, 
although  rich  and  varied,  was  not  so  clear  and  musical  as  that  of  their 
relatives  on  the  mainland.  The  birds  on  Maria  Madre  show  a  marked 
tendency  to  albinism,  which  usually  appears  in  the  form  of  grayish  or 
whitish  bars  on  the  wings  and  tail.  In  addition  to  the  barring  on  the 
primaries  and  secondaries,  the  alula  is  often  similarly  marked  and  some 
specimens  have  lighter  spots  on  the  tips  of  the  wing  coverts,  produc- 
ing well-defined  wing  bands.  The  markings  are  usually  symmetrical, 
but  vary  in  amount  and  intensity  with  the  individual.  In  some  they 
are  barely  distinguishable  and  in  others  very  conspicuous.  More  rarely 
the  albinism  appears  on  other  parts  of  the  body,  occasionally  in  asym- 
metrical areas  of  pure  white,  but  these  spots  also  are  sometimes  regu- 
lar. One  specimen  has  the  entire  under  surface  white,  except  some 
blue  feathers  along  the  flanks,  and  the  rump  is  white  mixed  with  blue. 
This  bird  has  a  striking  general  resemblance  to  the  Central  American 
Melanotis  Jiypoleucus.  At  least  2  or  3  per  cent  of  the  birds  on  the 
islands  are  albinistic,  and  the  constant  recurrence  of  the  same  light 
barring  on  the  wings  and  tail  seems  to  indicate  the  possible  evolution 
of  a  form  in  which  these  markings  will  be  constant. 

Myadestes  obscurus  insularis  Stejneger.     Tres  Marias  Solitaire. 

Myiadentes  obscurus  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.   Hist.,  XIV,  p.  277,  1871; 
Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  273, 1874. 

Myadestes  obscurus  var.  insularis  Stejneger,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  IV,  pp.  371,  373, 

1882. 

This  is  a  common  bird  in  the  heavy  forest  about  the  heads  of  can- 
yons on  Maria  Madre  and  Maria  Magdalena.  They  vrere  not  found 
anywhere  in  the  scrubby  growth  of  the  lower  slopes,  and  if  they  occur 
there  at  all  it  must  be  only  as  stragglers.  They  are  shy  birds,  remain- 
ing silent  when  approached,  but  when  undisturbed  flitting  through 
the  tree  tops  like  wandering  spirits  of  melody  uttering  their  sweet 
strains  from  the  mysterious,  depths  of  the  forest.  Their  song  was 
heard  from  the  tops  of  tall  trees  where  the  birds  sat  amid  the  heavy 
foliage,  rarely  coming  down  to  lower  levels  except  in  the  morning  or 
evening,  or  to  drink  at  midday.  Many  were  seen  about  a  spring  near 
the  top  of  Maria  Madre  where  they  came  to  drink  at  noon. 


60 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


Although  Myadestcts  obscuriis  insularis  is  very  closely  related  to  occi- 
dentalis, yet  it  may  be  distinguished  by  several  slight  but  constant 
characters,  such  as  the  greater  extension  and  paler  shade  of  ashy  from 
the  neck  over  the  forward  part  of  the  back.  The  lower  parts  also  are 
paler,  especially  on  the  throat  and  abdomen.  The  white  tips  to  the  tail 
feathers,  mentioned  by  Dr.  Stejneger  as  characteristic  of  this  form,  are 
equally  common  on  specimens  of  occidentalis. 

The  following  measurements  show  the  relative  size  of  the  two  forms: 

Measurements  of  Myadestes  obscurns  insularis  and  Myadestes  o.  occidental}*. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
speci- 
mens. 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 
men. 

Tarsus. 

Myadestes  obscurus  insn- 

Maria  Madre  Island  .  . 

ad.  cT 

5 

102.7 

102.6 

12.2 

22.5 

laris. 

do 

ad    ? 

3 

98  6 

95  6 

11  5 

22 

laris. 

Myadestes  obscurus    occi- 

Jalisco and  Sinaloa  .  .  . 

ad.  cf 

3 

104 

102.3 

12.5 

22.1 

dentalis. 

Myadestes  obscurns    occi- 

  do  

ad.  9 

2 

100.5 

92 

12 

21.7 

dentalis. 

Hylocichla  ustulata  (Nuttall).     Russet-backed  Thrush. 

A  typical  sp  ecirnen  of  this  species,  taken  on  the  islands  by  Colonel 
Grayson  in  the  winter  of  1865,  is  in  the  National  Museum.  In  his 
notes  Colonel  Grayson  says:  "I  found  this  little  thrush  in  the  mouth 
of  January  quite  abundant  in  the  thickest  of  the  woods  of  the  Tres 
Marias.  It  is  very  timid  and  shy,  more  so  than  any  bird  I  saw  upon 
the  islands;  it  frequently  uttered  a  low,  plaintive  whistle,  and  seemed 
solitary  in  its  habits."  We  saw  none  of  them  on  the  islands  in  May, 
and  it  is  safe  to  class  them  as  winter  visitants. 

Hylocichla  ustulata  swainsonii  (Cabanis).     Olive-backed  Thrush. 
Hylocichla  ustulata  almce  Oberholser,  Auk,  XV,  p.  304,  October,  1898. 

Two  specimens  of  this  thrush  were  taken  on  Marie  Madre,  one  on 
May  5,  the  other  on  May  19.  They  were  found  in  the  heavy  forest  back 
from  the  coast,  and  evidently  occur  only  as  stray  migrants. 

Mr.  Oberholser  mentions  these  specimens  as  typical  examples  of  his 
subspecies,  which  is  considered  a  synonym  of  Hylocichla  u.  moaimonii 
by  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union. 

Merula  graysoni  Ridgway.     Tres  Marias  Robin. 

Turdus  flavirostris  Grayson,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  27fi,  1871  (part) ; 

Lawr.,  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II.  p.  26G,  1874  (par;  j. 
Merula  flarirostris  graysoril  Ridgway,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  V,  p.  12,  1882. 

Gray  son's  robin  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  and  widely  spread  resi- 
dents and  takes  the  place  of  M.  flavirostris  of  the  mainland,  which  it 
closely  resembles  in  habits  and  general  appearance.  Although  a  char- 
acteristic bird  of  the  islands,  yet  occasional  stragglers  reach  the  main- 


BIRDS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


61 


land,  as  is  shown  by  a  perfectly  typical  specimen  (a  female  in  worn 
plumage)  taken  at  Santiago,  Territory  of  Tepic,  June  20, 1897.  On  the 
islands  it  was  found  from  the  shore  to  the  forests  of  the  higher  sloj)es 
and  was  also  very  plentiful  and  familiar  about  the  settlement.  It  had 
a  variety  of  notes,  among  them  a  rich  warbling  song  and  a  character- 
istic clear,  mellow,  whistling  call.  While  among  the  trees,  or  during 
their  search  for  food  upon  the  ground,  these  birds  closely  resemble  the 
common  robin  in  habits  and  general  appearance.  At  the  time  of  our 
visit  a  species  of  wild  fig  was  in  fruit,  and  the  tops  of  the  trees  were 
swarming  with  these  robins,  tanagers,  orioles,  lovebirds,  and  trogous, 
all  eagerly  feeding  upon  the  figs. 

Merula  graysoni  is  another  of  the  Tres  Marias  birds  which  are  evi- 
dently offshoots  from  species  now  resident  on  the  adjacent  mainland, 
but  with  differences  sufficiently  pronounced  and  constant  to  warrant 
their  recognition  as  separate  species.  Merula  flaviroxtris,  the  main- 
land representative  of  the  Tres  Marias  robin,  is  much  more  richly 
colored  than  grayxoni,  and  the  differences  mentioned  by  Mr.  JJidgway 
are  constant  and  well  shown  in  the  present  series.  The  following  aver- 
age measurements  show  the  relative  dimensions  of  the  two  species: 

Measurements  of  Merula  graysoni  and  M.  Jlarirostris. 


Name. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Num- 
ber of 
£*«• 

Wing. 

Tail. 

Cul- 
meu. 

Tarsus. 

Maria  Madre  Island  . 

ad.  <f 

4 

127 

99.7 

24.4 

34.5 

do 

ad    ? 

5 

125  6 

98  8 

24 

34  5 

Merula  flavirostris  
Merula  flavirostris  '.  

West  coast  Mexico  .  .  . 
do  

ad.  cT 
ad.   9 

4 
5 

125 
124.4 

99.7 
98 

I 

32.6 
32.4 

BIRDS  ERRONEOUSLY  ATTRIBUTED  TO  THE  TRES  MARIAS. 

Among  the  birds  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  from  western 
Mexico  by  Mr.  John  Xantus  are  five  species  of  humming  birds  named 
below  which  were  not  found  on  the  Tres  Marias  either  by  Colonel  Gray- 
son  or  myself,  and  which  are  not  known  even  from  the  adjacent  parts 
of  the  mainland.  These  specimens  are  now  in  the  National  Museum, 
all  labeled  "Tres  Marias,  July,  1861."  The  improbability  of  their  cap- 
ture on  the  Tres  Marias  is  very  great,  and  the  fact  that  species  from 
such  widely  separated  areas  should  be  credited  to  these  islands  during 
a  single  month  can  be  accounted  for  in  only  one  way.  Probably  Mr. 
Xantus  purchased  these  specimens  from  some  one  who  misled  him  con- 
cerning their  origin.  That  this  could  be  done  very  easily  I  know  from 
personal  experience.  Some  years  ago  I  purchased  a  small  collection  of 
birds  from  a  San  Francisco  dealer,  who  claimed  that  they  came  from 


62  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

La  Paz,  Lower  California,  but  which  proved  to  be  made  up  of  species 
found  near  Mazatlan,  Sinaloa. 
Thalurania  luciee  Lawr. 

Thalurania  luoice  Lawr.,  Aau.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.,  N.  Y.,  VII,  p.  2, 1867;  Proc.  Boston 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  284, 1871 ;  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  291, 1874. 

Described  as  new  from  the  specimen  sent  in  by  Xautus,  but  proved 
to  be  Thalurania  glaucopis,  a  resident  of  southeastern  Brazil. 
Plorisuga  mellivora  (Linn.). 

Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  284,  1871;  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  II,  p.  291, 1874. 

A  well-known  species  of  the  humid  tropics  from  southern  Mexico  to 
South  America.    There  is  no  authentic  record  for  it  m  western  Mexico, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  it  has  not  been  taken  on  the  Tres  Marias. 
Uranomitra  guatemalensis  (Gould). 

Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  284,  1871;  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  II,  p.  292, 1874. 

A  species   which   ranges  from  Guatemala  and   British   Honduras 
southward.     There  is  no  authentic  Mexican  record. 
Petasophora  thalassina  (Swainsou). 

Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  284,  1871;  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  II,  p.  292,  1874. 

This  humming  bird  ranges  from  the  highlands  about  the  Valley  of 
Mexico  southward  into  Central  America,  but  there  appears  to  be  no 
authentic  record  for  western  Mexico. 
Chlorostilboii  insularis  Lawr. 

Chlorostilbon  insularis  Lawr.,  Ann.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  VII,  p.  457,  1867;  Proc. 
Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  284,  1871;  Mem.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist., 
II,  p.  292,  1874. 

This  bird  was  described  by  Mr.  Lawrence  from  a  Xautus  specimen, 
but  proved  to  be  Ghlorostilbon  pucherani  of  southeastern  Brazil. 
Merula  grayi  Lawr. 

Merula  grayi  Lawr.,  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV,  p.  276,  1871;  Mem.  Bos- 
ton Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  II,  p.  266, 1874. 

Grayson's  notes  on  Merula  grayi  on  the  Tres  Marias  refer  to  pale 
specimens  of  M.  graysoni,  and  his  record  of  M.  grayi  at  the  city  of 
Tepic,  on  the  adjacent  mainland,  refers  to  M.  tristis.  Merula  tristis  is 
a  common  and  widely  spread  species  in  suitable  localities  in  western 
Mexico  and  is  the  only  Merula  sent  in  by  Grayson  from  the  city  of 
Tepic. 

Merula  grayi,  on  the  contrary,  does  not  appear  to  occur  anywhere  in 
western  Mexico  north  of  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  for  no  specimens 
were  taken  by  Grayson  nor,  during  our  own  work  at  many  localities 
between  the  Isthmus  and  Mazatlan,  has  a  single  individual  been  noted, 
and  there  appears  to  be  no  authentic  record  of  its  occurrence  there. 
This  thrush  is  a  species  of  the  humid  tropics,  ranging  along  both  coasts 
of  Central  America  north  to  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  and  thence 
northward  its  range  is  limited  to  the  humid  region  of  the  Gulf  coast 
and  adjacent  mountain  slopes  of  eastern  Mexico. 


REPTILES  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  AND  ISABEL  ISLANDS. 

By  LEONHARD  STEJNEGER, 
Curator,  Division  of  Reptiles  and  Batrachians,  U.  S.  National  Museum. 

The  present  paper  is  based  upon  the  collection  made  on  the  Tres 
Marias  and  Isabel  Islands  in  April  and  May,  1897,  by  E.  W.  Nelson 
and  E.  A.  Goldman. 

The  surprising  fact  that  the  two  expeditions  which  have  collected 
systematically  in  the  Tres  Marias  brought  liome  the  same  number  of 
species,  Forrer  only  collecting  one  snake,  Diplotropis  diplotropis,  which 
Nelson  did  not  collect,  and  Nelson  also  aollecting  only  one  snake  which 
Forrer  did  not  obtain,  viz,  Boa  imperator,  seems  to  indicate  that  not 
many  more  species  than  the  16  here  enumerated  are  to  be  found  in 
these  islands. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  reptile  fauna  is  an  exceedingly  poor  one 
and  very  disappointing  in  several  respects.  Thus  most  of  the  species 
are  common  on  the  opposite  mainland  and  generally  distributed  over 
tropical  Mexico  and  Central  America.  Then,  again,  it  seems  as  if  the 
species  are  practically  identical  on  all  the  islands  of  the  group.  This 
would  indicate  a  comparatively  recent  severance  of  the  islands  from 
each  other  as  well  as  from  the  opposite  mainland  of  Mexico. 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  perhaps,  that  there  is  absolutely  no  indication 
of  relation  to  the  Cape  Saint  Lucas  fauna  of  Lower  California.  The 
only  species  occurring  in  both  places  is  Phyllodactylus  tubercnlosus,  a 
gecko  of  wide  distribution,  the  presence  of  which  is  of  absolutely  no 
moment  in  determining  zoogeographicul  relations. 

The  only  species  whch  seems  to  be  peculiar  to  the  islands  is  Cnemi- 
dophorus  mariarum.  As  will  be  explained  more  fully  under  the  head 
of  this  species,  I  have  never  seen  a  specimen  from  the  mainland,  and 
those  which  have  been  recorded  from  there  I  regard  as  wrongly  identi- 
fied. However,  the  herpetology  of  the  regions  in  question  is  too  little 
explored  in  detail  to  incline  one  to  be  dogmatic  on  a  point  like  this, 
but  I  may  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  swift  which  occurs  on  the 
little  Isabel  Island,  about  halfway  between  the  Tres  Marias  and  the 
mainland,  is  most  certainly  the  same  form  which  inhabits  the  latter, 
viz,  Cnemidophorus  gularis  mexicanus,  and  not  C.  mariariim,  to  which 
it  bears  only  a  superficial  resemblance.  The  species  collected  on  Isabel 
Island  are  referred  to  in  the  following  paper  without  any  number  pre- 
ceding the  specific  names.  Mr.  Nelson  has  contributed  field  notes  on 
some  of  the  species,  and  these  notes  are  given  in  brackets  with  his 
initials  at  the  end  of  the  paragraph  on  the  species  to  which  they  refer. 

63 


64 


NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 


TESTUDINATA. 

[The  tortoise-shell  turtle  frequents  the  sea  about  the  Tres  Marias, 
approaching  the  shores  to  mate  and  deposit  eggs  in  May  and  June 
each  year.  At  the  same  time  the  large  green  sea  turtle  abounds  along 
these  shores,  where  they  congregate  for  the  same  purpose. — E.  W.  N.] 

Kinosternon  integrum  Leconte. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  endorsing  Boulenger's  view  (Cat.  Chel.  Brit. 
Mus.,  p.  42)  that  the  Tres  Marias  mud  turtles  are  K.  integrum  and  not  K. 
hirtipes,  as  held  by  Gunther  (Biol.  Centr.-Ain.,  Kept.,  p.  15,  pis.  xii-xiv). 
They  have  the  broader  bridge  and  broader  plastron  of  the  former  and 
agree  with  undoubted  specimens  from  the  mainland.  The  island  speci- 
mens, of  which  there  are  four  adults  and  one  young,  do  not  differ  from 
those  from  Colima,  Guanajuato,  Cuernavaca  (Morelos),  Acaponeta 
(Tepic),  Guadalajara  (Jalisco).  Presidio,  and  Mazatlan  (Sinaloa),  from 
all  of  which  localities  I  have  examined  specimens.  K.  hirtipes  I  believe 
to  be  confined  to  the  eastern  side  of  Mexico. 

List  of  specimens  of  Einovternon  integrum. 


U.S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24606 

712 

Maria  Madre  Island 

May  15  1897 

24607 

713 

do  

May   15  1897 

24608 

714 

do  

May  15,1897 

24609 

715 

do 

May  15  1897 

24610 

716 

do  

May  15  1897 

LOEICATA. 

Crocodylus  americanus  Laur. 

No  specimens  were  secured,  but  Mr.  Nelson  assures  me  that  the 
crocodile  occurs  on  Maria  Magdalena  Island.  There  can  be  but  little 
doubt  that  it  is  the  present  species  which  is  distributed  all  along  the 
coast  of  Central  America,  Mexico,  the  West  Indies,  and  southern 
Florida. 

[The  unmistakable  furrow  in  the  mud  where  a  crocodile  had  hauled 
up  on  the  border  of  a  brackish  lagoon  on  the  eastern  side  of  Maria  Mag- 
dalena, the  sight  of  a  small  head  in  the  water,  and  the  testimony  of 
the  people  on  Maria  Madre  established  the  fact  of  their  occurrence. 
They  appeared  to  be  limited  to  Maria  Magdalena.— E.  W.  N.j 

SQUAMATA. 


Phyllodactylus  tuberculosus  Wiegm. 

This  species  is  distributed  over  Mexico  and  Central  America,  and 
has  also  been  collected  in  the  Cape  Saint  Lucas  region  of  Lower  Cali- 


REPTILES    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


65 


forniii,  the  specimens  from  the  latter  locality  having  been  described  by 
Cope  as  Phyllodaetylus  xanti. 

List  of  specimen*  of  rhi/lludavti/lux  tnhtn-nlosiis. 


IT.  S.  Xa- 
tional 

M  lls.  -Hill 

number. 

Collect- 
ors' nuin- 

& 

Locality. 

Date. 

24611 

660 

Maria  Madre  Island  

May  21  1897 

24612 

'686 

do 

24613 

700 

Maria  Cleofa  Island  

May  30  1897 

1  No.  686  was  taken  in  an  old  house. 
Anolis  nebulosus  Wiegm. 

All  the  specimens  from  the  three  islands  are  normally  colored  and 
alike,  except  No.  C92,  which  has  a  wide  whitish  dorsal  band  originating 
on  the  occiput  and  extending  down  the  upper  surface  of  the  tail.  It  is 
edged  with  dusky,  and  a  narrow  broken  line  of  the  same  dusky  color 
in  the  white  band  near  the  edge  on  each  side  extends  from  neck  to 
rump.  This  specimen  is  small  and  without  gular  pouch ;  but  No.  691, 
from  the  same  island,  which  equals  it  in  these  respects,  is  colored  like 
the  larger  specimens.  Both  specimens  appear  to  be  females,  having  no 
enlarged  postaual  scales. 

This  species  is  widely  distributed  over  Mexico,  and  has  been  collected 
in  the  Tres  Marias  Islands  not  only  by  Forrer  but  alsoby  Capt.  William 
Lund,  specimens  from  the  latter  being  in  the  museum  of  the  California 
Academy  of  Sciences  in  San  Francisco  (Van  Denburgh,  Proc.  Pliila. 
Acad.,  1897,  p.  400). 

List  of  specimens  of  Anolis  itebulosus. 


V.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24614 

636 

Maria  Madre  Island 

May    3  1897 

May     4  1897 

May  28  1897 

°4617 

1  (is  1 

do                                                                 .... 

May  28,  1897 

940  18 

i  685 

do                         

Mav  28,1897 

688 

do 

May  28,1897 

May  29  1897 

do 

Mav  29,3897 

<>4G'>2 

692 

do                                                                                    

May  29,  1897 

'  Nos.  683-685  were  found  living  in  an  old  house. 
Ctenosaura  terea  (Harlan).     Black  Iguana. 

The  material  at  hand  is  very  unsatisfactory  inasmuch  as  all  the 
full-grown  specimens  are  of  the  same  sex  and  in  rather  poor  state  of 
preservation,  while  the  younger  specimens  afford  no  characters  for 
13950— No,  14 5 


b'b  NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 

satisfactorily  separating  the  various  forms  which  naturally  group 
themselves  around  Ctcno.saura  1cren.  They  are  therefore  left  under 
that  general  name  for  the  present,  the  writer  hoping  some  day  to  be 
able  to  review  the  whole  genus.  The  chief  difficulty  now  lies  in  the 
lack  of  typical  specimens  of  C.  teres  from  Tampico  and  from  the  east- 
ern coast  of  Mexico  generally,  and  until  a  series  of  full-grown  speci- 
mens of  both  sexes  is  obtained  from  that  region  it  will  be  futile  to 
attempt  to  straighten  out  the  nomenclature  of  these  lizards.  As  far  as 
I  can  make  out  from  my  defective  material  the  Tres  Marias  and  Isabel 
specimens  differ  sufficiently  from  specimens  from  Colima  and  Telmaii- 
tepec  to  warrant  their  subspecific  recognition,  but  whether  identical 
with  the  Mazatlau  form  or  not  I  am  not  able  to  say.  There  are  certainly 
several  pretty  well  defined  races  of  this  species;  but  more  adult  speci- 
mens and  a  direct  comparison  with  the  types  of  many  of  the  old  names 
in  various  foreign  museums  will  be  necessary  before  the  intricate  ques- 
tions involved  can  be  settled. 

[The  females  were  burrowing  in  the  gravel  in  dry  washes  and  flats 
on  the  islands  the  last  half  of  May.  The  burrows  were  from  2  to  3 
or  4  feet  deep,  and  after  the  eggs  had  been  deposited  at  the  lower 
end,  the  female  scraped  in  loose  gravel  until  the  hole  was  filled,  and 
frequently  raised  a  little  mound  over  the  entrance. —  K.  W.  X.j 


U.S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24623 

655 

Maria  Mmlre  Island  

"Slay     4  1S97 

°46'?4 

656 

do 

Mav     4  18f)7 

24625 
24626 

659 
660 

Max      5,  MOT 

Mav      :,.  1>U7 

84827 

24628 

662 
(bis)  662 

do  
do  

May     5,  1897 

Mav     7.  1897 

24629 

676 

do        

Mav     4  1897 

24630 

693 

Maria  dcntii  Island 

Mav   '"J  1897 

24631 

630 

Isaliul  Island  

Vpr    ->3  LS97 

24632 

631 

24633 

632 

do 

Apr.  23,1897 

1 

Uta  latei  alls  Boulenger. 

Mr.  Xelson  remarks  that  this  species  lives  on  stones  and  driftwood 
near  the  border  of  the  woods  along  the  sea  beaches. 

Uta  lateralis  was  based  by  Bouleuger  in  1883  upon  specimens  from 
the  Tres  Marias  and  from  Presidio,  near  Ma/atlan,  collected  by  Forrer, 
and  specimens  from  both  localities  are  designated  as  'types'  in  the 
•*  Catalogue  of  Lizards  in  the  British  Museum.' 


REPTILES    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


67 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' iiuiii- 
ber. 

I.malit.v. 

Date. 

24634 

«• 

Maria  Mud  re  Island 

24635 

642 

do     .  .     . 

May     4  1897 

246:iC 

643 

do 

24887 

653 

....  do. 

May   13  1887 

94638 

670 

do 

•>4639 

671 

do 

24640 

672 

do  

May  °1  1897 

24641 

673 

do              

M-iy    21  1897 

04640 

674 

do 

24643 

675 

do 

•>4644 

678 

do  

May  25  1807 

24645 

670 

do 

May   25  1897 

Sceloporus  boulengeri  Stejueger. 
N.  Am.  Fauna  No.  7,  1893,  p.  180,  pi.  I,  figs.  5a-c. 

This  species  appears  to  be  smaller  than  8.  clarkii,  of  whicb  it  is  the 
southern  representative.  A  full-grown  male  (No.  634e)  measures  only 
yoiiim  from  snout  to  vent. 

Van  Deuburgh's  belief  that  8.  boulengeri  "is  the  same  form  as  Cope's 
AS.  oliyoporus"  (Proc.  Phila.  Acad.,  1897,  p.  463)  is  not  well  founded.  The 
latter  is  easily  distinguished  by  having  only  2  to  3  femoral  pores,  besides 
other  differences.  It  is  probably  identical  with  8.  horridus. 


f.  S.  N;, 

tioiiiil 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Sex. 

Number 
of  pores. 

Date. 

34646 
24647 

634 
634a 

Isabel  Island  

do 

c/ad.... 
9  Jun 

8 
9 

Apr.  23,1897 
Apr    23  1897 

94648 

634  b 

do  

cf  adol.. 

7 

Apr.  23,1897 

04649 

634  c 

do 

?  ad 

9 

Apr    23  1897 

24650 

634  d 

,lo  

9  

9 

Apr.  23,1897 

24651 

634  e 

do 

cf  ad 

9 

Apr    23  1897 

Ciiemidophorus  mariarum  Giinthrr. 

Ciifinidophonis  mariarum  Giinther  Biol.  Cent. -Am.,  Rept.  p.  28,  pi.  XX,  April,  1885; 
Boulenger,  Cat.  L5/ards,  Brit.  Mus.,  p.  368, 1885. 

The  swifts  from  the  Tres  Marias  are  essentially  alike.  Those  from 
Maria  Mad  re  are  the  largest  and  possibly  also  most  distinctly  marked ; 
those  from  the  small  detached  rock  off  the  west  side  of  Maria  Cleofa 
as  well  as  the  one  from  the  main  island  of  that  name  are  somewhat 
smaller.  According  to  Mr.  kelson's  observation  those  from  the  detached 
islet,  which  is  a  bare  rock,  the  nesting  place  of  numerous  sea  birds, 
appeared  to  him  paler  when  alive  than  those  on  the  other  islands,  but 
now,  in  alcohol,  the  difference,  if  any,  is  very  slight. 

This  species,  which  was  originally  described  by  Giiiither  from  speci- 
mens collected  by  Forrer  on  the  Tres  Marias  seems  to  be  confined  to 
this  group  of  islands.  If  so,  it  is  the  only  species  of  reptile  hitherto 


68 


NORTH   AMERICAN   FAUNA. 


collected  which  is  peculiar  to  these  islands.  The  species  has  been 
recorded  from  the  mainland  (by  Van  Denburgh,  Proc.  Phila.  Acad.,  1897, 
p.  463,  who  identifies  "a  large  number  of  lizards  from  Mazatlan,  San 
Bias,  and  Tepic"  with  Giiuther's  species),  but  I  am  satisfied  that  these 
records  are  based  upon  specimens  of  C.  gularis  mexicanus  (Peters) 
which  superficially  very  much  resemble  the  island  species.  The  mis- 
identification  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  Cope,  in  his  monograph 
of  the  genus,  overlooked  the  different  keeling  of  the  caudal  scales 
which  is  the  essential  character  of  this  species. 

List  of  specimens  of  Cnemidophorus  mariarum. 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24652 

637 

Maria  Madre  Island  

May     3  1897 

24653 

638 

do 

May     3  1897 

24654 

639 

do  

May     4  1897 

24655 

640 

do 

May    4  1897 

24656 
24657 

644 
645 

do 

May     7,  1897 
May     7  1897 

24658 

646 

do   

Miiy     7  1897 

24659 

647 

do 

May     7  1897 

24660 

687 

Maria  Magdalena  Island    '.... 

May  28  1897 

24661 

701 

Maria  Cleofa  Island  (outlying  rook) 

May  30  1897 

24662 

702 

do  

May  30  1897 

24663 

703 

do  

May   30,  1897 

24664 

704 

do                      . 

May  30  1897 

24665 

705 

do  

May  30,1897 

24666 

706 

Maria  Cleofa  Island  (main  island)  

May   31,1897 

Cnemidophorus  gularis  mexicanus  (Peters). 

The  Isabel  Island  swifts  are  identical  with  the  mainland  form,  two 
specimens  of  which  were  brought  from  San  Bias.  They  are  quite  dis- 
tinct from  the  species  on  the  Tres  Marias,  which  is  well  characterized 
by  the  smaller  femorals  and  the  parallel  caudals.  It  is  strange  that 
Cope,  having  had  the  latter  character  clearly  pointed  out  by  Boulenger, 
should  have  referred  G.  mariarum  to  C.  gularis  as  a  subspecies. 

List  of  specimens  of  Cnemidophorus  gularis  mexicanus. 


IT.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24667 

633 

Isabellsland  

April  23,  1897 

24668 

633a 

do 

April  23  1897 

24669 

633& 

do  

April   23,1897 

24670 

633c 

do 

April  93  1897 

24671 

633d 

do  

April  2:!  1897 

REPTILES    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


69 


SEKPENTES. 

Boa  imperator  Daudin. 

This  is  tlie  first  record  of  this  species  from  the  Tres  Marias.  The 
species  is  generally  distributed  through  southern  Mexico  and  Central 
America. 

Scale  rows  73. 

Litt  of  specimens  of  Boa  imperator. 


V.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
era'  mini- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24672 

648 

Maria  Madre  Island 

Oxybelis  acuminatus  (Wietl). 

A  common   species  occurring  all  through  tropical   America  from 
Guayinas,  Mexico,  south. 

List  of  specimens  of  Oxybelis  acuminatus. 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' n  urn 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24673 

677 

Maria  Madre  Island                                

May  25  1897 

Diplotropis  diplotropis  (Gunther). 

This  species  seems  to  be  confined  to  western  Mexico.  It  was  not 
collected  by  Mr.  Nelson,  but  there  are  two  specimens  in  the  British 
Museum  collected  by  Forrer  on  the  Tres  Marias  (Leptophis  diplotropis 
Boulenger,  Cat.  Snakes  Brit.  Mus.,  II,  p.  110). 

Drymobius  boddaerti  (Seetzen). 

A  common  species  distributed  over  tropical  America. 

In  No.  681  the  fourth  labials  on  both  sides  are  divided  horizontally, 
so  as  to  suggest  a  subpreocular.  This  is  an  adult  male,  and  is  uni- 
formly colored  above,  without  any  markings.  The  adolescent  specimens 
are  uniform  above,  with  a  few  scales  tipped  with  black;  the  anterior 
part  of  the  underside  has  square  blackish  spots.  The  two  young  ones 
have  above  brown,  dark-edged,  squarish  spots,  separated  by  narrow 
light-colored  interspaces.  They  are  marked  underneath  like  the  adoles- 
cent specimens. 

No.  C81,  male  ad.— Scale  rows,  17;  ventrals,  183;  anal,  £ ;  caudals,  }ff ; 
supralabials,  9. 


70 


NORTH    AMERICAN   FAUNA. 
List  of  specimens  of  Drymobius  boddaerti. 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24674 

652  juv 

Maria  Madre  Island  

Mav    12,1897 

24675 

654  ad 

do 

May   13  1897 

24676 

658  ad 

do     

Mav   14,1897 

24677 

661  ad 

do 

May  15  1897 

24679 

681  ad 

Maria  Ma^dalona  Island 

May  27  1897 

Bascanion  lineatum  Bocourt. 
This  species  is  apparently  confined  to  western  Mexico. 

List  of  specimens  of  liascanion  lineatum. 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24680 

650 

Maria  Madre  Island 

May  12  1897 

24681 

651 

do                                   

May  12,1897 

24682 

660 

do 

May  16  1897 

Drymarchon  corals  melanurus  (Dum.  &  Bibr.) 

Scale  rows,  19;  ventrals,  205;  anal,  1;  caudals,  £f,  aupralabials,  8. 
Adult  male  with  the  characteristic  coloring'  of  this  subspecies,  which 
seems  to  be  confined,  to  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

List  of  specimens  of  Drymarchon  corais  melanurus. 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24683 

664 

Maria  Madre  Island 

"M-iy   18  1807 

Lampropeltis  micropholis  oligozona  (Bocourt). 

Scale  rows,  23;  ventrals,  230;  anal,  1;  caudals,  f{;  temporals,  2  -f  3. 
Adult  male.  Thirteen  annuli  on  body,  separated  by  wide,  red  inter- 
spaces, without  black  spots,  both  on  back  and  belly;  all  the  annuli. 
complete,  including  that  on  neck  and  throat,  which  does  not  touch  the 
parietals;  snout  white,  with  black  on  rostral  and  anterior  nasal.  From 
Boulenger's  account  it  appears  that  Ferrer's  specimens  from  the  Tres 
Marias  are  identical.  (Cat.  Snakes  Brit.  Mus.,  II,  p.  204.) 

Distributed  over  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

List  of  specimens  of  Lampropeltis  microphnlis  oliyozona. 


U.  S.  Na- 
tional 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

Date. 

24684 

661 

Maria  Madre  Island  

May   16,  1K97 

REPTILES    OP    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


71 


Agkistrodoii  bilineatus  (Giinther). 

Scale  rows,  23  ;  ventrals,  138;  anal,  1;  caudals,  21  +  ff-.     Adult  male. 
Southern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Nicaragua. 


Li»t  of 


of  .Igkiatrodon  bilineatux. 


r.  s.  N.,. 

tiiui.-il 
Museum 
number. 

Collect- 
ors' num- 
ber. 

Locality. 

24685 

707 

Maria  Mailnt  Islam!  

May   15, 1897 


Crotalus  sp.  ? 

No  rattlesnake  was  collected  on  the  Tres  Marias  by  Forrer,  nor  by 
Nelson,  but  the  latter  informs  me  that  he  was  told  of  the  occurrence  of 
a  rattler  on  Maria  Magdalena  Island. 


NOTES  ON  THE  CRUSTACEA  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS. 


By  MARY  J.  RATH  BUN, 
Second  Assistant  Curator,  Dirision  of  Marine  Invertebrates,  U.  S.  National  Museum. 

Of  the  four  species  of  Crustacea  taken  by  E.  W.  Nelson  and  E.  A. 
Goldman  on  the  Tres  Marias  Islands  in  May,  1897,  two  are  identical 
with  forms  inhabiting  Lower  California,  one  is  found  in  all  the  warm 
countries  of  the  world,  while  the  fourth,  a  fresh-water  shrimp,  is  dis- 
tributed throughout  tropical  America. 

Gecarcinus  digueti  Bouvier. 

Gecarcihus  digueti  Bouvier,  Bull.  Mus.  Hist.  Nat.,  Paris,  I,  8,  1895. 
Maria  Cleofa  Island.     May  30.     One  large  male  (Collectors'  No.  717). 

The  type  and  only  specimen  hitherto  collected  is  from  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, and  is  in  the  Paris  Museum.  This  species  differs  from  others 
found  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  its  wider  carapace,  narrower  front,  longer 
legs,  and  in  the  form  of  the  abdomen  of  the  male. 

Measurements. 


Specimen. 

a 

3 

1 

Exorbital  width. 

Inferior  width  of  front. 

Length  of  merus  of  sec- 
ond ambulatory  leg. 

Width  of  same. 

Length  of  carpus. 

Width  of  same. 

4 

*S 

£ 

Width  of  same. 

Length  of  dactylns. 

Width  of  same. 

Type,    d,    Lower    Cali- 

46.3 

09 

25 

9 

33 

9.7 

16 

8 

17 

7.3 

24.2 

3.7 

cf  ,  Maria  Cleofa  Island.. 

70 

104 

37.5 

13 

46.3 

13.4 

22.5 

11.5 

21.5 

10 

33.5 

5 

The  measurements  of  the  legs  are  exclusive  of  the  large  spines,  and 
the  length  given  is  that  of  the  anterior  or  superior  margin.  The  penult- 
imate segment  of  the  abdomen  of  the  male  is  very  wide.  Length  and 
distal  width,  12  mm.;  proximal  width,  21.5. 

Mr.  Nelson  says  of  these  crabs : 

On  the  Tres  Marias  we  found  them  only  on  Maria  Cleofa,  where  they  were  very 
numerous  above  high-water  mark  on  the  sandy  beaches  of  the  low  eastern  part  of  the 
island.  They  were  also  living  very  abundantly  in  burrows  in  the  soft  soil  almost 
everywhere  on  the  slopes  of  Isabel  Island.  They  are  nocturnal  in  habits,  and  caused 

73 


74  .   NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

some  annoyance  by  walking  over  us  at  night  while  we  were  camped  iu  their  haunts. 
They  began  to  come  out  of  their  burrows  as  soon  as  it  became  twilight  in  the  even- 
ing. In  both  localities  most  of  their  burrows  were  found  among  the  scrubby  bushes. 
On  Isabel  Island  they  were  often  seen  during  the  day  sitting  in  the  burrows  a  foot 
or  so  from  the  entrance,  but  scuttled  back  to  a  safe  depth  when  I  approached. 

Ocypode '  occidentalis  Stimpson. 

Ocypoda  occidentalis  Stiinpsou,  Ann.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  VII,  229,  1860. 

Maria  Magdalena  Island.     May  28.     One  female  (No.  689). 

Maria  Cleofa  Island.     May  30.     One  male  (No.  699). 

This  much  neglected  species  is  distinct,  it  seems  tome,  from  O.  kuhlii 
de  Haan,  of  which  Miers  made  it  a  variety.  According  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  0.  Jcuhlii  given  by  de  Man  (Notes  Leyden  Mus.,  Ill,  250,  1881), 
who  had  the  type  before  him,  O.  occidentalis  differs  from  it  in  having  a 
narrower  carapace,  in  the  outer  orbital  angle  directed  inward  and  not 
outward,  in  the  shorter  hand,  the  length  of  the  upper  margin  of  the 
palm  being  less  than  the  width,  and  in  having  from  18  to  21  tubercles 
in  the  stridulating  ridge  (de  Man  gives  8  or  10  for  kuhlii,  while  Miers 
figures  17).  The  form  of  the  abdomen  of  the  male  furnishes  excellent 
characters  for  the  determination  of  the  species  of  Ocypode.  In  0.  occi- 
dentalis the  penultimate  segment  is  much  wider  at  its  middle  than  at 
its  proximal  end. 

It  is  singular  that  this  species  is  not  mentioned  in  the  revisions  of 
the  genus  by  Kingsley,  1880,  or  by  Ortmaun,  1897. 

Dimensions  of  a  type  specimen,  U.  8.  National  Museum. — Male:  Length, 
40.5  mm.;  epibranchial  width,  48;  exorbital  width,  41;  length  of  supe- 
rior margin  of  palm,  22.8;  entire  length  .of  propodus,  43.5;  greatest 
width,  24. 

Range. — Type  locality,  Cape  St.  Lucas.     Also  taken  at  Turtle  Uay 
and  San  Jose  del  Cabo,  Lower  California,  by  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony,  in. 
1896  and  1897. 
Grapsus  grapsus  (Linnaeus). 

"This  crab  was  very  abundant  on  the  rocks  along  the  water's  edge 
on  the  Tres  Marias  as  well  as  on  Isabel  Island."  (Nelson.) 

The  species  is  distributed  throughout  the  tropics. 
Bithynis  jamaicensis  (Herbst). 

Maria  Magdalena  Island.     May  27.     One  adult,  7  young  (No.  709). 

Maria  Cleofa  Island.     May  30.     One  adult,  3  young  (No.  710). 

"These  shrimps  were  very  numerous  in  a  small  stream  among  the 
hills  in  the  interior  of  Maria  Magdalena,  and  were  also  numerous  in 
streams  flowing  through  the  hilly  parts  of  the  adjacent  mainland." 
(Nelson.) 

The  species  is  found  on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  continent  from  Lower 
California  to  Ecuador,  and  on  the  Atlantic  slope  from  Texas  to  Rio 
de  Janeiro.  The  following  localities,  not  before  recorded,  are  repre- 
sented by  specimens  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum :  On  the  Pacific 


1  Ocypode,  not  Ocypoda,  Fabricius,   Entom.  Sys.,  Suppl.,  312  and  347,  1798;  also 
Entom.  Sys.,  emend,  et  auct.,  IV,  index,  115,  1796. 


CRUSTACEA   OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  75 

coast,  La  Paz,  Lower  California;  Rio  Presidio,  Siualoa;  Rio  de  Alica, 
Tepic;  Barranca  Ibarra,  Rio  Santiago,  Jalisco,  and  Rio  Armeria, 
Colinia,  Mexico;  Riode  los  Platanales  and  Quebrada  Chavarria  Golfito 
(b»th  tributary  to  the  Gulf  of  Dulce),  Costa  Rica;  River  David,  Chiri- 
qui,  United  States  of  Colombia,  4,000  feet  elevation;  Guayaquil, 
Ecuador.  On  the  Atlantic  coast,  San  Antonio,  Tex. ;  Las  Moras  Creek, 
Kinney  County,  Tex. ;  Brownsville,  near  mouth  of  Rio  Grande,  Tex. ; 
Amixtlan,  and  Zacatlan,  Puebla,  Mexico;  Escondido  River,  50  miles 
from  Bluefields,  Nicaragua;  Port  Castries,  St.  Lucia,  West  Indies. 

The  west  African  form,  />.  vollenhovenii  (Herklots)  is  no  more  than 
a  subspecies  of  B.jamaicensis.  It  differs  only  in  the  slenderer  second 
pair  of  feet,  the  carpal  and  meral  joints  of  which  are  subequal.  The 
relative  lengths  of  the  rostrum  and  the  antenna!  scales  and  peduncles 
agree  with  those  in  some  specimens  of  jamaicensis.  The  two  forms  are 
considered  identical  by  Dr.  Ortmann. 

According  to  Dr  Edward  Palmer,  B.jamaicensis  is  much  eaten  at 
Colima,  and  is  offered  in  the  market  there  as  a  choice  article  of  food, 
especially  on  Fridays  and  Sundays. 


PLANTS  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS. 

By  J.  N.  ROSE, 
Assistant  Curator,  Division  of  Plants,  U.  S.  National  Museum.1 

The  Tres  Marias,  lying  about  65  miles  off  the  west  coast  of  Mexico 
in  about  22°  north  latitude,  are  among  the  last  of  the  west  coast  islands 
to  be  studied.  All  the  others  have  yielded  valuable  botanical  results, 
but  almost  nothing  has  been  known  of  the  flora  of  these  islands 
except  in  a  commercial  way.  Several  botanical  expeditions  had  been 
planned  to  explore  the  islands,  but  heretofore  none  had  succeeded  in 
reaching  them.  They  are  out  of  the  line  of  traffic,  although  some  of 
the  smaller  steamers  stop  now  and  then  for  fuel,  and  small  boats 
occasionally  ply  between  the  islands  and  San  Bias.  They  are  usually 
visited  during  the  dry  season,  as  it  is  dangerous  to  attempt  the  passage 
during  summer  and  autumn. 

Mr.  Xelson  visited  the  islands  at  the  very  close  of  the  dry  season, 
when  the  vegetation  is  at  its  poorest,  and  this  accounts  for  the  small 
number  of  species  collected.  His  collection  contains  154  numbers  (Nos. 
4179  to  4333)  and  136  species,  mostly  from  Maria  Madre,  the  largest 
of  the  islands,  and  only  a  few  from  Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria 
Cleof'a.  In  the  subjoined  list  the  plants  are  from  Maria  Madre  unless 
otherwise  stated. 

There  are  no  cultivated  plants  on  the  islands,  except  one  or  two 
grasses.  Fithecolobium  dulce,  perhaps  introduced,  is  common  and 
much  prized  for  its  delicious  fruit.  The  exportation  of  Spanish  cedar 
(Cedrela  sp.)  has  long  been  the  chief  source  of  income  for  the  islands, 
but  the  available  supply  of  this  timber  is  now  nearly  exhausted.  The 
flora  is  purely  tropical  and  does  not  differ  essentially  from  that  of  the 
adjacent  mainland.  Many  of  the  species  have  not  been  reported  from 
the  mainland  opposite,  but  this  is  doubtless  because  the  flora  is  not 
well  known,  since  these  species  have  been  collected  either  farther  north 
or  south.  One  hundred  and  twelve  species  are  named  below,  of  which 
11  are  new.  Many  of  them  have  a  wide  distribution  in  tropical 
America;  all  but  6,  except  the  new  species,  have  heretofore  been 
reported  from  Mexico;  24  range  northward  into  the  United  States; 
64  extend  into  Central  America;  61  into  South  America;  44  into  the 
West  Indies^  and  21  are  found  in  the  Old  World. 


Published  by  permission  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

77 


78  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

The  following  report  must  be  regarded  as  a  preliminary  one.  The 
specimens  upon  which  it  is  based  are  simply  those  in  fruit  or  flower  at 
the  close  of  the  dry  season,  a  considerable  number  of  which  have  not 
been  determined  specifically  and  a  few  not  even  geuerically.  As  will 
be  seen  from  the  list  below,  mostly  trees  and  shrubs  were  collected, 
while  the  herbs,  which  spring  up  in  great  variety  during  the  rainy 
season,  are  scarcely  represented. 

The  Gamopetahe  and  Apetahu  have  been  named  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Green- 
man,  Graminea}  by  Prof.  F.  Lamson-Scribner,  and  Filices  by  George  E. 
Davenport. 

The  following  new  species  and  varieties  are  based  on  this  collection: 

jEgiphila pacifica  Greeuinan.  Kuphorlna  sulcarnlea  tresmario-  Millsp. 

Beloperone  nelsoni  Greemnan.  (iiUbertia  Insularly  Rose. 

UIIXHS pubes'cens  Greenman.  J'ilocarpus  Insularis  Rose. 

Cordia  insularis  Greenman.  Trnixtrti'iiiia  maltbya  Rose. 

Erythritta  Janata  Rose.  Zanthosylum  innularin  Rose. 

Euphorbia  nelsoni  Millspangli.  Zanthoxylum  n  than  I  Rose. 

ANNOTATED    LIST    OF    SPECIES. 

Cissatupelos  pareira  L. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  other  tropical  countries.  May  <">  to  25  (Nos. 
4233  and  4262). 

Argemoiie  ochroleuca  .Sweet. 

Widely  distributed  throughout  Mexico.  Maria  Magdalena  Island, 
May  26  to  28,  1897  (No.  4318). 

Capparis  cyiiophallophora  L. 

Found  along  the  coast  of  Mexico,  South  America,  and  the  West 
Indies.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4302). 
Capparis  breynia  L. 

Common  in  Mexico,  South  America,  and  the  West  Indies.  May  3 
to  25  (No.  4219). 

Crataeva  tapia  L.  f 

Perhaps  this  is  the  species  which  has  been  reported  from  Acapulco 
and  Mazatlan.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4274.) 

Ternstrcemia  maltbya  Rose,  sp.  nov. 

Tree  3  to  9  meters  high;  leaves  obovate,  entire,  obtuse,  glabrous, 
thickish,  not  black-punctate  beneath,  5  to  10  cm.  long;  flowers  solitary; 
peduncles  2.5  to  3.5  cm.  long  becoming  curved,  bracteate  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  calyx;  sepals  5,  orbicular,  8  to  10  mm.  in  diameter; 
petals  united  at  base,  acute;  stamens  numerous;  fruit  (immature)  ovate, 
20  mm.  long,  two-celled;  seeds  red. 

This  species  is  in  all  probability  Seemau's  No.  2148,  collected  on 
the  road  from  Ma/atlan  to  Dnrango  and  enumerated  in  the  Biologia 
Centrali-Ainericana  without  specific  name. 


PLANTS    OF    THE    TRES   MARIAS    ISLANDS.  79 

Collected  on  Maria  Madre  Island,  May,  1897,  by  T.  S.  Maltby  (No. 
105)  and  E.  W.  Nelson  (No.  4242)  ;  by  J.  N.  Eose  near  Colorao,  Sinaloa, 
July,  1897  (No.  1675). 

Wissadula  hirsutiflora  (Pn-sl)  Rose. 

The  type  of  this  species  came  from  Acapulco.     It  is  probably  com- 
mon on  the  west  coast,  although  its  distribution  and  specific  limits  are 
not  well  known.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4250). 
Abutilon  reveiitum  Watsou. 

This  species  extends  as  far  north  as  Arizona.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4203). 
Hibiscus  tiliaceus  L. 

A  common  tree  in  most  tropical  countries.     Maria  Magdalen  a  Island, 
May  26  to  28  (No.  4328a). 
Melochia  tomentosa  L. 

Common  throughout  tropical  America.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4205). 
Guazuma  ulmifolia  Lam. 

Common  throughout  tropical  America.  Maria  Magdaleua  Island, 
May  26  to  28  (No.  4325). 

Heteropterys  floribunda  H.  B.  K. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

Maria  Magdalena  Island,  May  26  to  28  (No.  4323). 
Guaiacum  coulter!  ?  Gray. 

Seemingly  common  on  the  west  coast  of  Mexico.  Island  specimens  do 
not  correspond  with  the  form  found  on  the  mainland  and  may  represent 
an  undescribed  species.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4180). 

Zanthoxyluni  insularis  Rose,  sp.  nov. 

Tree  6  to  20  meters  high,  thornless;  leaves  oddly  pinnate;  leaflets 
6  to  7  pairs,  opposite,  sessile,  obovate  to  spatulate,  obtuse  or  retuse, 
2  to  3.5  cm.  long,  crenate,  with  large  pellucid  dots  between  the  teeth 
and  small  scattered  dots  over  the  surface,  glabrous;  flowers  unknown; 
fruit  small,  in  a  rather  compact  panicle;  pedicels  very  short;  stipe 
short  and  thick. 

Collected  by  E.  W.  Nelson  on  Maria  Madre  Island.  May  3  to  25, 1897 
(No.  4278). 

Zanthoxylum  nelsoni  Rose,  sp.  MOV. 

Tree  7.5  to  20  meters  high,  thornless(  t) ;  leaves  oddly  pinnate;  leaf- 
lets about  6  pairs,  distant,  opposite,  shortly  petioled,  5  to  11  cm.  long, 
rounded  at  base,  long-acuminate,  creuate,  glabrous  on  both  sides, 
thickly  set  with  pellucid  dots;  inflorescence  in  small  compact  panicles; 
perianth  complete;  petals  4  (?);  fruit  large  in  dense  head-like  clusters, 
not  stipitate. 

A  very  peculiar  species,  unlike  any  Mexican  one  known  to  me.  Col- 
lected by  E.  W.  Nelson  on  Maria  Madre  Island.  May  3  to  25;  1897 
(No.  4279). 


80  NORTH    AMERICAN    FAUNA. 

Pilocarpus  insularis  Rose,  sp.  nov. 

Tree  3  to  6  meters  high,  glabrous  throughout;  leaflets  usually  in 
threes,  some  solitary  or  iu  rows,  5  to  7.5  cm.  long,  retuse  at  apex, 
cuneate  at  base,  in  the  lateral  ones  more  or  less  oblique;  mid  vein 
prominent,  lateral  veins  indistinct  below,  not  very  prominent  above ; 
racemes  short  and  compact,  5  to  10  cm.  long;  fruiting  pedicels  hori- 
zontal, 16  mm.  long;  ovary  deeply  4  or  5-lobed  or  parted,  1  to  4  lobes 
not  maturing. 

This  species  is  near  P.  lonyipcs  of  Mexico,  but  with  somewhat  different 
leaves,  more  compact  inflorescence,  etc.     Collected  by  E.  W.  Nelson  on 
Maria  Madre  Island.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4307). 
Amyris  sp. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4237). 
Picramnia  sp. 

A  tree  4.5  to  7.5  meters  high;  flowers  said  to  be  greenish,  but  none 
with  specimens.    Much  resembling  the  South  American  species  P.  ciliata 
Mast.,  but  without  flowers  or  fruit.     Exact  identification  is  doubtful. 
May  3  to  25  (No.  4276). 
Oclma  sp. 

May  3  to  25  (No.  4238). 
Bursera  gummifera  Jacq. 

Common  throughout  tropical  Mexico,  Central  America,  the  West 
Indies,  and  extending  into  Florida.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4227). 
Guarea  sp. 

May  3  to  25  (Nos.  4222  and  4230). 
Trichilia  spondioides  Swartz. 

Common  in  tropical  America.     May  3  to  25  (Nos.  4214  and  430!)). 
Ximenia  americana  L. 

Common  in  most  tropical  countries.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4224). 
Schcepfia  schreberi  Ginel. 

Seemingly  rare,  but  has  been  collected  in  Mexico  and  South  America. 
May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4271). 
Hippocratea  sp. 

Maria  Magdalena  Island,  May  26  to  28  (No.  4320).  Maria  Madre 
Island,  May  3  to  25  (No.  4226). 

Colubrina  arborea  Brandegee. 

Reported  from  Lower  California  and  the  west  coast  of  Mexicr .  May 
3  to  25  (No.  4213). 

Cissus  sicyoides  L. 
A  common  species  in  tropical  America.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4198). 

Serjania  mexicaiia  Willd. 

A  common  species  in  tropical  America.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4231). 


PLANTS    OF    THE    TKES    MARIAS    ISLANDS. 


81 


PauUiuia  sessiliflora  Kadi. 

Heretofore  only  known  from  the  type  specimens  collected  by  Dr. 
Edward  Palmer  in  the  State  of  Colima,  Mexico.  May  3  to  25  (No. 
4210). 

Urvillea  ulmacea  H.  15.  K. 
Common  in  Mexico  and  northern  South  America.     May  3  to  25  (No. 

4277). 

Cardiospermum  corindum  L. 

A  widely  distributed  species.  Maria  Magdaleua  Island,  May  26  to  28 
(No.  4328). 

Crotalaria  lupulina  ?  H.  B.  K. 

Perhaps  this  species,  which  is  common  in  Mexico,  and  extends  into 
the  United  States.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4248). 

Tephrosia  sp. 
May  3  to  25  (No.  4193). 

Desmodium  sp. 
May  3  to  25  (No.  4287). 

Erythriiia  lanata  Rose,  sp.  nov. 

A  small  tree,  4.5  to  7.5  meters  high,  with  a  trunk  10  cm.  in  diameter; 
brunches  glabrous,  bearing  mostly  single  infrastipular  spines;  leaflets 
triangular,  shortly  acuminate,  5  to  10  cm.  long,  5  to  7.5  cm.  broad, 
glabrous  or  nearly  so. 


Fio.  1. — Erythrina  lanata;  a, calyx;  6, banner;  c, keel;  d,  wing;  e,  stamens;  /.ovary. 

Inflorescence  unknown;  calyx  lauate  becoming  glabrate,  tubular,  10 
to  13  mm.  long,  truncate,  one-toothed;  banner  68  mm.  long,  folded, 
densely  white-lanate,  rounded  at  apex;  wings  (9  mm.  long)  and  keel 
(10  mm.  long)  included  within  the  calyx;  ovary  densely  lanate;  legume 
glabrous,  12.5  to  15  cm.  long,  strongly  constricted  between  the  seeds, 
long-stipitate,  attenuate  at  tip;  seeds  small  (for  the  genus),  nearly 
orbicular,  6  to  8  mm.  long,  bright  scarlet,  with  a  dark  spot  at  the 
micropyle. 

13950— No.  14 6 


82  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

The  type  of  this  species  is  Dr.  Edward  Palmer's  No.  129,  from 
Acapulco,  Mexico,  collected  in  1894-95.  To  this  species  I  would  refer 
specimens  collected  by  Frank  Lamb  near  Villa  Union,  State  of  Sinaloa, 
January,  1893  (No.  428),  and  flowering  specimens  by  W.  C.  Wright 
from  the  head  of  Mazatlan  River,  January,  1889  (No.  1292),  and  also 
those  collected  by  J.  N.  Eose  at  Kosario.  Sinaloa,  July  10,  1897  (No. 
1592),  and  July  22  (No.  1822).  The  latter  two  specimens  are  not  in 
flower  and  their  reference  here  is  attended  with  some  doubt.  The 
seeds  are  larger  and  the  pods  less  constricted  between  the  seeds.  Here 
also  belongs  E.  W.  Nelson's  No.  4303  from  the  Tres  Marias,  collected 
May,  1897.  I  have  tentatively  referred  to  this  species  E.  W.  Nelson's 
No.  2099,  taken  at  an  altitude  of  480  meters,  near  Santo  Domingo,  State 
of  Oaxaca,  June  18,  1895.  It  has  similar  pods,  but  is  described  as 
being  but  6  to  12  cm.  high  and  has  more  bluntish  leaflets. 

Dr.  Palmer  says  this  tree  flowers  in  January,  and  is  often  used  for 
hedge  fences.  It  differs  from  all  other  Mexican  species  which  I  have 
seen  in  its  white  lanate  banner.  Its  one-toothed  calyx  suggests  E. 
rosea,  but  in  the  latter  the  calyx  is  described  as  obliquely  truncate. 

Phaseolus  sp. 

Maria  Magdaleua  Island,  May  26  to  28,  1897  (No.  4319). 
Canavalia  gladiata  DC. 

A  species  of  wide  distribution,  perhaps  throughout  tropical  America. 
May  3  to  25  (No.  4190). 
Rhynchosia  minima  DC. 

A  common  Mexican  species  extending  into  South  America  and  the 
United  States.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4206). 

Rhynchosia  precatoria(?)  (H.  B.  K.)  DC. 

This  species  has  been  reported  from  Acapulco  and  Panama.  May  3 
to  25  (No.  4179). 

Lonchocarpus  sp. 

May  3  to  25  (No.  4310). 
Ateleia  ( ?)  sp. 

Without  flowers  or  named  specimens  for  comparison  it  is  impossible 
to  name  this  plant  definitely.     If  it  belongs  to  the  genus  Ateleia  it  is 
perhaps  A.  pterocarpa,  the  only  species  known  from  Mexico.    A  shrub 
or  small  tree  3.5  to  10.5  meters  high.     May  3  to  25  (No.  41S6). 
Cassia  emarginata  L. 

Common  in  Mexico,  South  America,  and  the  West  Indies.     May  3 
to  25  (Nos.  4192  and  4297). 
Cassia  biflora  L. 

Common  in  tropical  America.     May  3  to  25  (Nos.  4194  and  4196). 
Cassia  atomaria  L. 

Common  in  Tropical  Mexico  and  South  America.  Maria  Magdaleua 
Island,  May  26  to  28  (No.  4321). 


PLANTS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  83 

Bauhinia  sp. 

Apparently  belonging  to  the  genus  Bauhinia,  but  very  unlike  any  of 
the  Mexican  species  with  which  I  ain  familiar.     A  vine  6  to  9  meters 
long;  only  in  fruit.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4300). 
Acacia  sp. 

This  appears  to  be  an   undescribed  species,  of  which  I  collected 
specimens  on  the  mainland.    May  3  to  25  (No.  4188). 
Albizzia  occideiitalis  Brandegee. 

Probably  the  above  species,  which  is  found  in  Lower  California  and 
has  been  reported  from  western  Mexico.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4252). 
Fithecolobium  dulce  Benth. 

Common  in  tropical  Mexico  and  South  America.     Often  cultivated. 
May  3  to  25  (No.  4285). 
Pithecolobium  ligustrinum  Klotzsch. 

Common  in  tropical  Mexico  and  northern  South  America.     Maria 
Magdaleua  Island,  May  26  to  28  (No.  4314). 
Conocarpus  erectus  L. 

Common  throughout  tropical  America  extending  into  Florida  and 
reported  from  tropical  Africa.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4220). 

Fsidium  sp. 

Tree  G  to  9  meters  high;  flowers  white;  called  'palo  prieto.'  This 
species  is  not  represented  in  the  National  Herbarium.  May  3  to  25 
(No.  4306). 

Casearia  corymbosa  ( ?)  H.  B.  K. 

The  Tres  Marias  specimens  should  probably  be  referred  to  this  species 
although  our  herbarium  material  seems  to  represent  more  than  one 
species.    This  form  is  common  on  the  west  coast  of  Mexico  and  Central 
America.    May  3  to  25  (Nos.  4270  and-4308). 
Casearia  sylvestris  Swartz. 

Widely  distributed  throughout  tropical  Mexico,  South  America,  and 
the-West  Indies.  May  3  to  25  (No.  4241). 

Casearia  sp. 
Maria  Magdalena  Island.     May  26  to  28,  1897  (No.  4326). 

Passiflora  sp. 

May  3  to  25  (No.  4249). 

Opuntia  sp. 
May  3  to  25  (Nos.  4263  and  4286). 

Gilibertia  insnlaris  Rose,  sp.  nov. 

Tree  6  to  12  meters  high ;  leaves  25  to  35  cm.  long,  including  the 
slender  petioles  (7  to  18  cm.  long),  9  to  20  cm.  broad,  entire  or  3-lobed, 
oblong,  rounded  at  base,  rounded  at  apex  or  with  a  short  acumination, 
glabrous,  3-uerved  at  base;  fruiting  inflorescence  a  short  dense  panicle; 


84  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

rays  2  to  3  cm.  long;  pedicels  4  to  8  mm.  long;  fruit  white,  6-lobcd, 
4  mm.  high;  styles  short,  connate  to  near  the  top. 

Collected  on  Maria  Madre  Island  May  3  to  25  (No.  4282). 
Fortlaiidia  pterosperma  Watson. 

A  species  recently  described  by  Dr.  Watson,  the  type  coming  from 
near  Guaymas,  Souora.     May  3  to  25  (No.  4211). 

Eupatorium  sp. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4225). 
Eupatorium  sp. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4244). 
Eupatorium  collinum  DC. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No. 
4199). 
Mikania  cordifolia  Willd. 

Reported  from  Central  and  South  America.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No. 
4299). 
Conyza  lyrata  H.  B.  K. 

Reported  from  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America.     May  3  to  25 
(Nos.  4290  and  4312). 
Baccharis  glutinosa  Pers. 

A  common  Mexican  and  Central  American  plant.     May  3  to  25, 1897 
(No.  4291). 
Pluchea  odorata  Cass. 

Widely  distributed  in  Mexico  and  South  America.     May  3  to  25, 
1897  (No.  4181). 
Parthenium  hysterophorus  L. 

Common  in  Mexico,  South  America,  and  in  the  southern  United 
States.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4267). 
Perityle  microglossa  Benth. 

A  common  Mexican  plant.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4266). 
Porophyllum  iiummularium  DC . 

Eestricted  to  Mexico.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4292). 
Trixis  frutesceiis  P.  Brown. 

A  common  Mexican  and  Central  American  plant.     May  3  to  25, 1897 
(Nos.  4191),  and  Maria  Cleofa  Island,  May  30,  1897  (No.  4331). 
Jacquinia  macrocarpa  Cav. 

Species  not  represented  in  the  National  Herbarium,  but  reported 
from  Mexico,  and  Central  and  South  America.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No. 
4208). 
Gonolobus  sp. 

Fruit  only.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4313a). 
Buddleia  verticillata  H.  B.  K. 

A  common  Mexican  species.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4183). 


PLANTS    OF    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  85 

Cordia  soiiorae  Rose. 

A  recently  described  species  from  Sonora.     May  3  to  25, 1897  (No. 

4207). 

Cordia  iiisularis  Greeninan. 

Cordia  iiixnlaris  Crcenman,  Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  33 :  483.     1898. 

The  original  description  is  as  follows :  "Shrub  3  to  5.5  m.  high ;  stems 
and  branches  glabrous,  reddish  brown,  conspicuously  dotted  with 
numerous  whitish  lenticels;  the  extreme  branchlets  covered  with  hir- 
sute pubescence;  leaves  scattered,  elliptic-ovate  or  sometimes  slightly 
obovate,  1.5  to  3  cm.  long,  1  to  1.5  cm.  broad,  narrowed  below  into  a 
short  petiole,  obtuse,  the  upper  portion  more  or  less  deeply  crenate- 
dentate,  occasionally  sharply  toothed,  entire  toward  the  base,  hispid 
above,  spreading  hirsute-pubescent  beneath,  especially  on  the  midrib 
and  veins;  inflorescence  capitulate;  heads  small  (after  the  corolla  has 
fallen,  about  5  mm.  in  diameter) ;  peduncles,  during  anthesis,  1  cm.  or 
less  in  length,  covered  with  a  spreading  hirsute  pubescence;  calyx  2 
mm.  long,  5-dentate;  teeth  short,  acute;  corolla  3  mm.  long,  nearly 
cylindrical,  with  short  recurved  lobes,  externally  glabrous,  pubescent 
inside  along  the  line  of  the  filaments,  stamens  included;  style  a  little 
exserted.  Collected  by  E.  W.  Nelson  on  Maria  Madre  Island  of  the 
Tres  Marias  group  of  islands.  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4296)." 

Tournefortia  Candida  Walp. 

Not  previously  in  herbarium.  May  3  to  25,  1897  (Nos.  4217  and 
4229). 

Tournefortia  cymosa  L. 

I  have  only  seen  specimens  from  Guatemala.  May  3  to  25,  1897 
(No.  4189). 

Tournefortia  velutina  H.  B.  K. 

Reported  from  the  west  coast  of  Mexico  and  Guatemala.  May  3  to 
25,  1897  (No.  4209). 

Heliotropium  indicum  L. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  most  tropical  countries.  May  3  to  25, 1897 
(No.  4253). 

Heliotropium  curassavicum  L. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  South  America  as  well  as  in  the  Old  World. 
Reported  in  the  United  States  as  far  north  as  Oregon  and  Virginia. 
May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4313). 

Ipomoea  bona-nox  L. 

A  common  tropical  plant  extending  into  Florida.  May  3  to  25, 1897 
(No.  4269). 

Ipomoea  peduncularis  JJertol. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  May  ,'t  to  25, 1897  (No. 
4235). 


86  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

Jac  quern  on  tia  violacea  Choisy. 

Beported  from  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America,  and  the  West 
Indies.    May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4251). 
Solanum  nigrum  L. 

A  widely  distributed  species.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4200). 
Solanum  lanceaefolium  Jacq. 

A  common  tropical  plant.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4240). 
Solanum  callicarpaefolium  Kunth  &  Bouch6. 

Common  in   south  Mexico  and  northern   South   America.     Maria 
Magdalena  Island,  May  26  to  28,  1897  (No.  4322). 
Solanum  torvum  Swartz. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No. 
4185). 
Solanum  verbascifolium  L. 

Only  reported  hitherto  from  one  station  in  southern  Mexico.     May 
3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4216). 
Fhysalis  pubescens  L. 

A  common  tropical  plant.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4255). 
Bassovia  donnell-smithii  Coulter. 

A  recently  described  South  American  and  Guatemalan  species.  May 
3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4232). 

Datura  discolor  Bernh. 

Reported  from  Mexico  and  West  Indies.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No. 
4197). 
Nicotiana  trigonophylla  Dtfn. 

Common  in  Mexico.    May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4212). 
Russelia  sarmentosa  Jacq. 

A  common  Mexican  and  Central  American  species.     (May  3  to  25, 
1897  (No.  4289). 
Capraria  biflora  L. 

A  widely  distributed  plant,  extending  into  Florida.  May  3  to  25, 
1897  (No.  4195). 

Bignonia  aequinoctialis  L.     (B.  sarmentosa  Bertol.) 

Recently  collected  at  Acapulco  by  Dr.  Edward  Palmer.  It  is  com- 
mon in  Central  and  South  America.  May  3  to  25, 1897  (No.  4301),  and 
Maria  Magdalena  Island,  May  26  to  28  (No.  4324). 

Beloperone  nelsoni  Greenman. 

Beloperonc  nelsoni  Greenman,  Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  33 :  488.     1898. 

"  It  is  nearest  B.  comosa  Nees,  in  DC.  Prodr.  11 :  416,  but  differs  very 
markedly  in  the  size  of  the  flower  and  the  character  of  the  lower  lip." — 
Greenman  in  litt.  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4246). 

The  original  description  is  as  follows:  '-'Erect;  stems  branching,  sub- 


PLANTS   OF   THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  87 

terete,  covered  with  a  spreading  or  slightly  retiexed  grayish  pu- 
bescence; leaves  ovate-lanceolate  or  oblong-lanceolate,  5  to  10  cm.  long, 
2  to  4  cm.  broad,  obtuse  at  the  apex,  entire,  narrowed  below  into  a 
slender  petiole,  densely  lineolate  above,  pubescent  on  either  surface, 
especially  on  the  veins,  later  becoming  glabrous;  petioles  about  2  cm. 
in  length;  inflorescence  terminating  the  stem  and  branches  in  rather 
close  bracteate  spikes;  bracts  oblong  or  obovate;  bracteoles  linear, 
nearly  1  ein.  long,  exceeding  the  calyx;  calyx  about  5  mm.  long,  deeply 
5-parted;  divisions  nearly  equal,  lanceolate,  acute,  ciliate;  corolla  2  to 
2.5cm.  long;  tube  exceeding  the  limb;  upper  lip  shortly  2-lobed,  the 
lower  more  deeply  3-lobed,  rather  broad,  somewhat  plaited  in  the 
throat;  capsule  10  to  12  mm.  long,  pubescent.  Collected  by  E.  W.  Nel- 
son on  Maria  Madre  Island  of  the  Tres  Marias  group  of  islands,  3-25 
May,  1897  (No.  4246). 

"A  species  closely  resembling  B.  comosa  Nees,  but  with  a  much 
shorter  corolla,  and  broader  lower  lip.  The  leaves  are  also  somewhat 
larger,  longer-petioled,  and  much  less  pubescent.  It  may  be  that  fur- 
ther material  will  prove  this  to  be  a  variety  of  B.  comosa  Nees,  but  as 
the  material  at  hand  shows  no  sign  of  intergradation,  it  seems  best  for 
the  present  at  least  to  regard  Mr.  Nelson's  plant  as  a  distinct  species." 

Laiitana  horrida  H.  B.  K. 

lleported  from  both  northern  and  southern  Mexico.     May  3  to  25, 
1897  (No.  4187). 
Citharexylum  affinis  D.Don. 

This  is  a  rare  Mexican  species  which  has  been  "  compared  with  the 
Prodromus  specimen  at  Geneva  by  0.  De  Candolle" — J.  M.  G.  May  3 
to  25,  1897  (No.  4311). 

Greeninan. 
ifica  Greeuman,  Proc.  Amer.  Acad.  33:485.  1898. 

The  original  description  is  as  follows :  "  Shrub  2.5  to  7  m.  high ;  stems 
and  branches  terete,  covered  with  a  grayish  brown  bark  and  dotted 
here  and  there  with  lenticels,  glabrous ;  branchlets  terete,  somewhat 
compressed  at  the  nodes,  fulvous-pubescent;  leaves  opposite,  oblong- 
ovate,  5  to  15  cm.  long,  3.5  to  7.5  cm.  broad,  more  or  less  acuminate, 
entire,  rounded  or  rather  abruptly  narrowed  at  the  slightly  unequal 
base,  glabrous,  or  at  least  glabrate  above,  with  scattered,  tawny,  sub 
appressed  hairs  beneath,  especially  upon  the  midrib  and  veins;  petioles 
less  than  1  cm.  in  length;  inflorescence  terminating  the  stems  and 
branches  in  rather  close  paniculate  cymes;  peduncles,  pedicels,  the 
subulate  bracts  and  calyx  covered  by  a  fulvous  subappressed  pubes- 
cence; calyx  about  4  mm.  long,  4-lobed;  lobes  broader  than  long, 
submucronate,  greenish;  corolla  tubular,  10  to  12  mm.  long,  glabrous; 
tube  somewhat  ampliated  above;  lobes  oblong-elliptic,  about  4  mm. 
long,obtuse;  stameusequal  or  rarely  unequal,  exserted;  filaments  pubes- 
cent below,  glabrous  above;  drupe  yellow,  obovoid,  8  to  10  mm.  long,  0 


88  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

to  8  mm.  in  diameter,  one-half  or  more  exserted  from  the  persistent 
coriaceous  subcrenately  lobed,  cup-shaped  calyx.— Collected  by  E.  W. 
Nelson  on  Maria  Madre  Island  of  the  Tres  Marias  group  of  islands, 
3-25  May,  1897,  No.  4245  (in  flower)  and  No.  4254  (in  fruit)." 
Hyptis  albida  H.  B.  K. 

Several  times  reported  from  Mexico.  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4223). 
Salvia  aliena  Greene. 

A  Mexican  species.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4247). 
Stachys  coccinea  Jacq. 

Common  in  Mexico  and  Central  America,  extending  into  Texas  and 
Arizona.    May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4265). 
Iresine  interrupta  Benth. 

Reported  from  western  and  central  Mexico.  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No. 
4234). 

Phytolacca  octandra  L. 

May  3  to  25, 1897  (No.  4293). 
Stegnosperma  halimifolia  Benth. 

Common  along  the  west  coast  of  Mexico.  May  3  to  25, 1897  (No.  4184). 
Batis  maritima  L. 

Extending  from  Florida  and  California  to  Brazil  and  the  West  Indies 
and  also  reported  from  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Magdalena  Island,  May 
26  to  28,  1897  (No.  4327). 

Coccoloba  leptostachya  Benth. 

This  species  has  not  been  heretofore  found  in  Mexico,  but  has  been 
reported  from  Central  America  and  South  America.    Maria  Magdalena 
Island,  May  26  to  28, 1897  (No.  4315). 
Antigonon  leptopus  Hook.  &  Am. 

A  very  common  vine  on  the  west  coast  of  Mexico.  May  3  to  25, 1897 
(No.  4204). 

Aristolochia  par  din  a  Dnch. 

A  little-known  plant  collected  at  Colima  many  years  ago  by  Ghies- 
brecht,  and  recently  at  the  same  place  by  Dr.  Edward  Palmer.  May 
3  to  25, 1897  (No.  4304). 

Piper  aduncum  L. 

Reported  from  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America,  and  the  West 
Indies.    May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4283). 
Euphorbia  sp. 

May  3  to  25, 1897  (No.  4268). 

Euphorbia  subcaerulea  tresmariae  Millspangli,  var.nov. 

"In  the  characters  present  in  the  specimens  collected,  this  agrees  well 
with  E. subcaerulea .Rob. and  Greenm.(Pringle  No.  (5265,  Oaxaca),  except 
in  the  hairy  involucre  more  regularly  toothed  involucral  lobes,  and  in 


PLANTS   OF   THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  89 

having  the  styles  bifurcate,  to  the  middle  only,  and  flat  spreading  with 
no  tendency  to  reflexion  or  peltation  as  in  the  other  species.  The 
fruits  may  prove  this  to  be  a  distinct  species.  May  3  to  25,  1897  (Nos. 
4298  and  4202)."— Millspaugh  MSS. 

Euphorbia  sp. 

Specimens  are  indeterminable  from  lack  of  characters.    May  3  to  25, 
1897  (No.  4215). 
Euphorbia  nelsoni  Millspaugh. 

Euphorbia  nelsoni  Millspangh,  Bot.  Gaz.26:268.  1898. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4294,  not  4284,  as  published). 


FIG.  2. — Euphorbia  neltoni. 

The  original  description  is  as  follows:  "Fruticosa,  glabra,  longe  et 
corymbosa  rarnosa,  ramis  teretis,  internodiis  longis,  cortex  maculatis, 
maculio  oblongis  roseus.  Foliis  inferioris  fasciculatis,  petioliis  longis 
filamentosis,  pagina  tennis  ovato-cuneatis,  obtusis,  apiculatis,  foliis 
floralibus  oppositis,  orbiculatis  petiolis  limbum  aequantis.  Involucriis 
terminalibus  corymbosis,  pedunculatis,  campanulatis  glabris,  lobis  latis 
truncatis  irregulariter  C-8  fimbriatis,  glandulis  5,  transversis  oblongis 
integris,  appeudicibus  minntis  vel  nullus.  Stylis  longis  revoluto-cir- 
cinalis.  Capsule  luridre  profunde  tri-sulcato,  semine  sub-globosis 
pallide-fuscis,  scrobiculatis,  linea  media  nigra  geminatis,  ruga?  anasto 
mosautis  tuberculatis  2  mm.  long,  1.9  mm.  lat." 

Several  Euphorbias  were  collected  on  the  islands  in  too  imperfect 
condition  to  determine,  and  it  has  been  thought  advisable  to  reproduce 
the  cut1  of  the  present  species  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  future  study 
of  the  flora. 


'Through  the  kindness  of  the  editors  of  tho  Botanical  Gazette  I  am  permitted  to 
.use  this  illustration. 


90  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

The  main  figure  shows  a  cluster  of  leaves.     To  the  right  is  ti  flower 
cluster  and  to  the  left  a  dissected  flower  with  end  and  side  views  of  the 
seed. 
Garcia  nutans  Rohr. 

Found  in  Mexico  and  South  America.  May  3  to  25,  1807  (No.  4228). 
Croton  ciliato-glandulosus  Ort. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4218). 
Acalypha  sp. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  42GO). 
Celtis  monoica  Hemsley. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4230). 

Buxus  pubescens  Greenman. 

Buxus  pubescens  Greenman,  Proc.  Anier.  Acad.  33 : 481.  1898. 

The  original  description  is  as  follows:  "  Shrub  or  small  tree,  4.5  to 
8  m.  high;  stems  and  branches  covered  with  a  grayish  bark;  the 
branchlets  and  younger  shoots  provided  with  a  soft,  spreading  pubes- 
cence; leaves  opposite  or  occasionally  subaltemate,  sessile  or  nearly  so, 
rhombic-ovate  to  oblong-ovate,  2  to  5  cm.  long,  1.5  to  nearly  3  cm. 
broad,  3-nerved,  obtuse  or  acutish,  mucrouate,  cuneate  at  the  tyase, 
entire,  ciliate,  soft-pubescent  beneath,  more  sparingly  pubescent  and 
glabrate  above,  showing  the  reticulate  venation  on  the  upper  surface; 
inflorescence  of  axillary  short-pedunculate  much  contracted  subrace- 
mose  pubescent  clusters ;  staminate  flowers  pedicellate;  pedicels  3  mm. 
long,  about  twice  exceeding  the  ovate  acute  bracts;  calyx  deeply  4- 
parted;  divisions  ovate,  acute,  2  mm.  long,  the  inner  divisions  slightly 
broader  than  the  outer  ones;  the  rudimentary  pistil  somewhat  quatre- 
foil  or  X-shaped;  fertile  flowers  about  5  mm.  long,  single,  sessile, 
terminating  the  inflorescence;  ovary  glabrous;  fruit  not  seen. — Col- 
lected on  Maria  Madre  Island  by  E.  W.  Nelson,  3-25  May,  1897, 
No.  4221. 

"A  species  apparently  endemic  in  the  Tres  Marias  Islands,  and  most 
nearly  related  to  the  West  Indian  B.  pulchella  Baill." 
Ficus  radulina  Watson. 

A  recent  species  of  Dr.  Watson's  from  northern  Mexico.     May  3  to 
25,  1897  (No.  4261). 
Ficus  fasciculata  Watson. 

Only  known  from  western  Mexico.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4288). 
Ficus  sp. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4182). 
Myriocarpa  longipes  Liebm. 

Found  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  May  3  to  25, 1897  (No.  4275). 
Agave  sp. 

Six  meters  high,  leaves  9  to  18  dm.  long;  marginal  teeth  small,  dis- 
tant; end  spine  short,  stout,  pungent;  capsules  oblong,  large,  7  cm. 
long. 


PLANTS    OP    THE    TRES    MARIAS    ISLANDS.  91 

This  species  belongs  to  the  subgenus  Eugave  and  the  Rigidae  group 
of  Mr.  Baker's  revision.     It  is  near  A.  vivipara,  and  perhaps  not  dis- 
tinct.   Mr.  Nelson's  plant  does  not  seem  to  differ  from  specimens  col- 
lected by  me  on  the  mainland.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4264). 
Cyperus  ligularis  L. 

Keported  from  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America,  and  West  Indies, 
as  well  as  Africa  and  Australia.     Maria  Oleofa  Island,  May  30,  1897 
(No.  4330). 
Cyperus  incompletus  Link. 

Eeported  from  Mexico  and  Brazil.     May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4259). 
Panicum  brevifolium  L. 

May  3  to  25  (No.  4257). 
Eleusiiie  indica  Gaertu. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4305). 
Dactyloctenium  aegyptiacum  Willd. 

May  3  to  25,  1897  (Nos.  4295  and  4256);   Maria  Magdalena  Island, 
May  26  to  28  (No.  4317). 

Arundo  donax  L. 

Maria  Cleofa  Island,  May  30  (No.  4332). 
Zamia  loddigesii  ( f )  Miq. 

Reported  from  Mexico.    Maria  Cleofa  Island,  May  30, 1897  (No.  4329). 
Pteiis  longifolia  L. 

Maria  Madre  Island,  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4201). 
Aspidium  trifoliatum  Swartz. 

Maria  Madre  Island,  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4280). 
Aspidium  patens  Swartz. 

A  widely  distributed  species.    Maria  Magdalena  Island,  May  26  and 
28,  1897  (No.  4316). 
Adian  turn  concinnum  H.  B.  K. 

Maria  Madre  Island,  May  3  to  25,  1397  (No.  4273). 
Adiantum  tenerum  Swartz. 

Maria  Madre  Island,  May  3  to  25,  1897  (No.  4281). 
Gymnogramme  calomelanos  Kaulr. 

A  widely  distributed  species.     Maria  Cleofa  Island,  May  30,  1897 
(No.  4333). 


PARTIAL  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  TRES  MARIAS  ISLANDS. 

By  E.  W.  NELSON. 

1703.  DAMPIER,  WILLIAM.    A  New  Voyage  round  the  World,  5th  ed.,  I,  pp.  26o-264. 

Notes  the  presence  of  seals  about  the  Tres  Marias.     These  notes  are  quoted 

by  Allen  and  Alston. 
1865.  BAIRD,  SPENCER  F.     <Review  of  American   Birds,  p.  232.      Description  of 

GranateUun  francescce. 
I860.  ALLEN,  HARRISON.     Notes  on  the  VespertUwnidtv  of  Tropical  America.    <Troc. 

Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.  1866,  p.  285.     Description  of  Rhogeiissa  parvula. 
1867.  CASSIN,  JOHN.    A  third  study  of  the  Icteridtc.     <Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila. 

1867,  p.  48.     Description  of  Icterus  graysoni. 
1867.  LAWRENCE,  GEORGE   N.     Descriptions  of  Six  New  Species  of  Birds  of  the 

Families  Hirundinida>,  Formicarido',  Tyrannidce,  and  Trochilidw.     <Ann.  Lye. 

Nat.  Hist.,  N.  Y.,  VIII,  pp.  404-405.     Description  of  Amazilia  graysoni. 
1871.  GRAYSON,  ANDREW  JACKSON.     On'the  Physical  Geography  and  Natural  His- 
tory of  the  Islands  of  the  Tros  Marias  and  Socorro  off  the  Western  Coast  of 

Mexico.    Edited  by  Geo.  N.  Lawrence.    <Proc.  Boat.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XIV, 

pp.  261-302.     In  addition  to  Grayson's  notes,  Lawrence  gives  a  few  remarks 

on  certain  birds  said  to  have  been  taken  on  the  Tres  Marias  by  Xantus  and 

describes  Pyrrhophima  graysoni  (=Amazilia  graysoni)  and  Sterna  fuliginosa 

crissalis  (ex  Baird  MSS.). 
1871.  LAWRENCE,  GKORGE  N.     Descriptions  of  New  Species  of  Birds  from  Mexico, 

Central  America,  and  South  America,  with  a  note  on  Rallus  longirostris. 

<Ann.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  X,  pp.  1-21.     Description  of  Parula  insularis 

(=Comp8othlypi8  insularis). 
1874.  BAIRD,  SPENCER  P.      <History  of  North  American  Birds,  II,  pp.  515,    516. 

Description  of  Dryobates  scalaris  graysoni. 
1874.  LAWRENCE,  GEORGE  N.     Birds  of  Western  and  Northwestern  Mexico.    <\Mem. 

Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  II,  pp.  265-319.     Contains  extracts  from  Grayson's  notes 

on  various  species  of  birds  of  the  Tres  Marias. 

1876.  WALLACE,  ALFRED  RUSSELL.     Geographical  Distribution  of  Animals,  II,  pp. 

59-60.     Summary  of  the  fauna  of  the  Tres  Marias,  comprising  52  species  of 
birds,  3  mammals,  and  several  species  of  snakes  and  lizards. 

1877.  ALLEN,  JOEL  ASAPH.     <Mon.  N.  Am.  Rodoutia,  347-348.     Description  of  Lepns 

graysoni. 

1877-79.  GRAYSON,  ANDREW  JACKSON.  Historia  Natural  de  las  Islas  de  las  Tres 
Marias  y  Socorro.  <La  Naturalexa  IV,  pp.  159,  203,  and  252.  A  Spanish 
translation,  by  Sefior  Don  Aniceto  Moreno,  of  Colonel  Grayson's  paper 
originally  published  in  the  Annals  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History, 
New  York,  X,  1871. 

1878.  RIDGWAY,  ROBERT.     Description  of  a  New  Wren  from  the  Tres  Marias  Islands. 

<Bull.  Nutt.  Ora.  Club,  III,  p.  10.    Thryothorus  felix  lawrendi  (=.  T.  lawrendi). 
1879-82.  ALSTON,  EDWARD  R.     <Biologia  Centrali-Americana.     Mammalia.     1879- 
1882.     Notes  on  Vexperuyo  parvulus  (=Rhogeesa  parvula),  p.  21,  Lepus  </ray- 
soni,  p.  177,  and  a  seal,  p.  210,  on  the  Tres  Marias. 

93 


94  NORTH  AMERICAN  FAUNA. 

1879-98.  SALVIN,  OSBKRT,  andGoDMAN,  F.  DuCane.     <Biologia  Centrali-Americana' 
Aves  I  and  II,  1879-1898.     Contains  notes  on  various  species  of  birds  of 
the  Tres  Marias,  based  on  tbe  work  of  Grayson  and  Forrer. 
1880.  ALLEN,  JOEL  ASAPH.    History  of  North  American  Pinnipeds,  1880,  p.  290.    Misc. 

publication  No.  12,  U.  S.  Geol.  and  Geog.  Survey  Terr.    Quotation  of  Dampier's 

notes  on  seals  about  the  Tres  Marias. 
1882.  RIDGWAY,  ROBERT.     Description  of  Several  New  Races  of  American  Birds. 

<Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mas.,  V,  p.  12,  1882.     Description  of  Merula  Jlarirostris 

graysoni. 
1882.  STEJNEGER,  LEONHARD.     Description  of  Two  New  Races  of  Myadestes  obscurus 

Lafr.     <Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  IV,  p.  373,  1882.     Description  of  Myadestes 

obscurus  insularis. 
1882.  THOMAS,  OLDFIELD.      Biologia  Centrali-Americana,  Mammalia,  Supplement, 

1882.     Notes  on  various  species  of  mammals  found   on   the   Tres  Marias: 

Fesperngo  parvulus,  p.  203;  Atalaplia  noreboracennis,  p.  1>05;    I'espertiUo  n'ujri- 

cans,  p.  206;  Mawotus  icaterhousii,  p.  207;  Chccronycteris  mexicana  [=(;7osso- 

phaga  mutica],  p.  207;  Procyon  cancrii-tfrus,  p.  208;  Lepus  graysoni,  p.  211. 
1885.  MADARASZ,   JULIUS  VON.      Oruithologiai  Kozlemdnyek   A  Magyar  Nemzeti 

Muzeum  Gyujtemeny6bol.    <  TeruK-szetrajzi  Fiizetek,  IX,  p.  74,  Feb.  20, 1885. 

Description  of  Vireo  forreri. 
1887.  RIDGWAY,  ROBERT.     <  Manual  of  North  American  Birds,  1887.     Descriptions 

of  lacne  laicrencei  (ex  Berlepsch  MS.),  p.  320;  Platypsaris  insularis,  p.  325; 

Piranga  flammea,  p.  457. 
1887.  RIDGWAY,  ROBERT.     A  Review  of  the  Genus  Psittacula  of  Brisson.     <[  Proc. 

U.  S.  Nat.  Museum,  X,  541. 1887.     Description  of  Psittacula  insularis. 
1891.  BRYANT,  WALTER  E.    Andrew  Jackson  Grayson.     <  Zoe.  II,  pp.  34-68,  1891. 

A  short  account  of  Grayson's  life,  with  extracts  from  his  journals  on  the 

habits  of  certain  birds  of  the  Tres  Marias. 
1898.  EVERMANN,  BARTON  WARREN.    Notes  on  Fishes  Collected  by  E.  W.  Nelson  on 

the  Tres  Marias  Islands  and  in  Sinaloa  and  Jalisco,  Mexico.     <^  Proc.  Biol. 

Soc.,  Washington,  XII,  pp.  1-3,  1898.     Records  Agonostomus  nasutus  Giinth. 

on  Maria  Magdalena  and  Maria  Cleofa. 
1898.  MERRIAM,  C.  HART.    Mammals  of  Tres  Marias  Islands  off  Western  Mexico. 

<Proc.   Biol.    Soc.   Washington,   XII,    pp.    13-19,   1898.      Descriptions   of 

Marmosa    insularis,   Oryzomys  nelsoni,  Peromyscus  madrensis,  Procyon    loior 

insularis,  Glossophaya  mutica,  with   notes    on    other   species   of   mammals 

occurring  on  the  islands. 
1898.  NELSON,  EDWARD  WILLIAM.    Descriptions  of  New  Birds  from  the  Tres  Marias 

Islands,  Western  Mexico.     <Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  XII,  pp.  5-11, 1898. 

Descriptions  of  the  following  new  species  and  subspecies:  Columba  jlariros- 

tris  madrensis,  Leplotila  capitalis,  Buieo  borealis  fumosus,  Polyborus  cheriiray 

pallidus,  Troyon  ambiguus   goldmani,  Nyctidromus   albicollis  insularis,  Myio- 

pagis  placens  minimus,  Cardinalis  cardinalis  marice,  Fireo  hypochryseus  sordidus, 

Melanotis  ccerulescens  longirostris,  Thryotltorns  laicrencii  magdalena>. 
1898.  GREENMAN,  JESSE  M.     Diagnoses  of  New  au<l  Critical  Mexican  Phanerogams. 

<Proc.  Am.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  XXXIII,  No.  25,  pp.  471-489,  June,  1898. 

^Descriptions  of  ^Egiphila  pacifica,  Beloperone  nelsoni,  Buxus  pubescens,  and 

Cordia  insularis. 
1898.  MILLSPAUGH,  CHARLES  F.     Notes  and  New  Species  of  the  Genus  Euphorbia. 

<Botanical  Gazette,  XXVI,  pp.  265-270,  Oct.,  1898.    Descriptions  of  Euphorbia 

nelsoni  and.  Euphorbia  subccerulea  tresmariw. 


DTOEX. 


[Names  of  new  species  in  black -fact*  type.] 


Abutilon  reventuin.  7!". 
Acacia,  83. 
Acalypha,  90. 
Actif  is  inaculari.i,  34. 
Adiontom  tcnerum,  91. 


.Kgiphila  pacitu-a,  13,  7,8,  87-88. 
Agave,  9.  12.  90-91. 
Agkistrodon  bilineatus,  71. 
Agoiiostimuis  nasiitus,  11. 
Albizzia  occidentalis.  83. 
A  ma/ilia  ciiiuaniomea,  45-4G. 

graysonr,  12,  22,  45,  46. 
Amazonannschi,41. 

«  oratrix,  39-41. 
Amyris,  80. 
Anolis  uebnlosus,  65. 
Auous  stolidus,  26. 

stolidus  ridgwayi,  26-27. 
Antigonoii  leptopus,  88. 
Arctocephalus  townseudi,  18. 
Ardea  candidissinia,  33. 

egret  ta,  33. 

herodias,  33. 

Argemone  ochroleuca,  78. 
Aristolochia  i>ardiiia,  88. 
Arun<lodonax,91. 
Aspidium  patens,  91. 

ti-itbliatum,91. 

Astragaliuus  psaltria  mexicanus,  52. 
Ateleia,82. 
Awaous,  11. 
Baccbaris  glutinosa,  84. 
Baseanion  lineatum,  70. 
liassovia  doniiell-sinithil,  86. 
Bat,  Big-eared,  18. 

Maximilian's  Black,  15,  18. 

Mexican  Red,  19. 
Balis  maritima,  88. 
liaiiliiuia.83. 
Beloperone  comosa.  86,  87. 

ii.-lsoiii,  13,  78,  86-87. 
Biguonia  ic<|iiiiioctiijlis,  86. 

siinncntosa,86. 
Bitbyiiisjaiiiaiccnsis,  74-75. 

vollenboveuii,  75. 
Boa  imperator,  63,  69. 
Booby,  Blu.-footed,  31-32. 

Brewster'8,29,30. 

"Webster's,  29. 
Brachyrbampria  brovirostriH.  23. 

l)V]")lcll<-U8,  23. 

Buddleia  verticillata,  84. 
Burseragiiniinircra.HO. 
Butco  borcalis  calurus,37. 

borealis  iiiinoxus,  12,  37-38. 

borealis  montana,  37. 

boreal  is  sdcorroenwis,  37-38. 
Buxus  pubescens,  13,  78,  90. 
Cain],c])liiliis,23. 
tJanavalia  gladiata,  82. 
Capparis  breynia,  78. 

cynopliallophora,  78. 
Capraria  biflora,  86. 
Caracara,  Trcs  Marias,  38-39. 
Cardiualis  canlinalis  inari.-r,  12,22,52. 

virginianus,  52. 

virginiaium  ignciis.  .VJ. 
Cardinal,  TITS  Marias.  52. 
Cardiosperiuum  coriuduni,  81. 


corymbosa,  83. 

sylvestris,  83. 
Cassia,  12. 

atomaria,  82. 

bitlora,  82. 

emarginata,  82. 
Catliartes  aura,  37. 
Celtis  inonoica,  90. 
Ceretis,  12, 51. 
Ceryle  alcyon,  43. 
Chlorostilbon  insularis,  62. 

pucherani,  62. 

ChoTonvcteris  mexicana,  19. 
Cbordeiles  actipennis  texensis,  45. 
Chrysotia  levaillantii,  39. 
Ciccaba  Rquamulata,  39. 
Circe  latirostris,  46. 
Cissampelos  pareira,  78. 
Cissoh.pha,  23. 

beecheyi,  50. 
Cissus  sicyoides,  80. 
Citharexylum  afiinis,  87. 
Cnemidophorus  gularis  mexicanns,  63,  68. 

mariarum,  12, 63, 67-68. 
Coccoloba  leptostachya,  88. 
Coccyzus  minor,  42. 
Colubriua  arborea,  80. 
Columba  llavirostris,  35. 

flavirostris  madrensis,  12,  22, 35. 
Cohimbigallina  passerina  palleacens,  37. 
Conipsotlilyiiis  Inornata,  55. 

iiisularis,  11, 12,  22,  55-56. 

nigrilora,  55. 

pitiayumi,  55. 

pulchra,  55, 56. 
Conocarpus  erectus,  83. 
Contopus  richardsoni,  49. 
Conurus,  23. 
Convza  lyrata,  84. 
Cordia  insularis,  13,  78, 85. 

sonorre,  85. 
Cormorant,  32. 
Corvus  mexicanus,  50. 
Crateva  tapia,  78. 
Cro«;oflile,  11. 

Crooodylus  aiiioricanus,  64. 
Crotalu8,71. 
Crotolaria  lupulina,  81. 
Croton  ciliato-glandulosus,  90. 
Crow,  Mexican,  50. 
Ctenosaura  teres,  65-60. 
Cuckoo,  Mangrove,  42. 
Cyanospiza,  23. 
Cyperus  incompletas,  91. 

ligularis,91. 

Dactylocteniuiu  a-gyptiacum,  91. 
Datu'ra  discolor,  86. 
Dendroica  a^tiva  rubiginosa,  56. 

sestiva  morcomi,  56. 

a  mill  I  ion  i,  56. 

townsendii,  56. 
Desmodium,81. 
Diplotropis  diplotroi>is,  63, 69. 
Dove,  Mexican  Ground,  37. 

Mourning,  36. 

Tres  Marias,  30. 

White-fronted,  36. 

White-winged,  36-37. 
1  >r\  marchoii  i-orais  nielauurus,  70 


INDEX. 


Drymobius  boddwrti,  69-70. 
Dryobatea  acalaris,  43. 

acalaris  baircli,  43. 

scalaris  graysoni,  12,  2'i,  43-44. 

scalaris  lucasauus,  43. 

scalaria  sinaloensia,  43-44. 
Egret,  American,  33. 
Elaiuea  plat-ens,  50. 
Eleusineindica,91. 
Empidonax  difficilis,  49. 
Erythrina  lanata,  13, 78, 81 
Eupatorium,  84. 

collmum,  84. 
Euphorbia,  12, 88, 89. 

nelsoni,  13, 78, 89-90. 

subcoerulea  tre.smariae,  13,  78, 88-89. 
Faleoalbigularis,38. 
.  columbarius,  38. 

peregrinus  anatum,  3S. 

peregrinus  nigrieeps,  38. 

sparverius.  38. 
Falcon,  White-throated,  38. 
Ficus  t'asciculata,  90. 

radulina,  90. 
Florisuga  inellivora,  62. 
Flycatcher,  Arizona  Crested,  48. 

Beardless,  49. 

Golden  Crowned,  50. 

Little  Golden  Crowned,  50. 

Olivaceous.  48-49. 

Western,  49. 
Fregata  aquila,  33. 
Garcia  nutana,  90. 
Gecarcinus  digueti,  73-74. 
Gilibertia  iusularis,  13, 78, 83-84. 
Glandina  turris,  11. 
Glossophaga  unities,  11, 18-19. 
Glossophaga,  Tre.s  Marias,  18-19. 
Goldfinch,  Mexican,  52. 
Gonolobus,  84. 
Grackle,  Great-tailed,  52. 
Grauatellus  fraucescae.  12,  22, 56-57. 

veuustus,  57. 
Grapsus  grapsus,  74. 
Guaiacum  coulter!,  79. 
Guarea,  80. 

Guazuuia  ulmifolia,  79. 
Gull,  American  herring,  23. 

Heennann's,  23-24. 
Gymnogramme  calomt-lanos,  91. 
Hadrostomus  aglaiie  alh'uis,  47. 
Htematopus  frazari  34-35. 

galapagensis,  34-35. 

palbatus.  34-35. 

Haliplana  fuliginosa  crissaiis,  24. 
Hawk.  Duck,  38. 

Pigeon,  38. 

Sparrow,  38. 

Tres  Marias  Bed-tailed,  37,  38. 
Heliotrppiiim  curassavicum,  85. 

indicum,  85. 
Heron,  Great  Blue,  33. 

Snowy,  33.. 

Yellow-crowned  Night,  33, 34. 
Heteropterys  floribunda,  79. 
Hibiscus  tiliaceus,  79. 
Hippocratca.  80. 
Hirundo  ervthrogaster,  54. 
Humming  Bird,  Gray  son's,  45, 46. 

Lawrence's,  46, 47. 
Hylocichla  ustulata,  60. 

ustulata  almre,  60. 

ustulata  swainsoni,  60. 
Hypotriorchis  rutigularis,  38. 
llyi.tis  albida,  88. 
laclie  latirowtris,  46,  47. 

lawrencei.  12, 22, 46. 
Icterus  graysoni,  12, 22, 50-51. 

pustulatus,  51. 
Iguana,  Black,  65, 66. 
lponio;a,  12. 

bona-nox,  85. 

peduucularia,  85. 
Ircsine  interrupta,  88. 
Jacquemontia  violacea,  86. 
Jacqiiinia  macrocarpa,  S4. 
Jay.  BeecheyX  50. 
Kingbird.  Couch's,  48. 
Kiiigtisher,  Belted,  43. 


Kiuosternou  iiitegrum,  64. 

Lamellaxis,  11. 

Lampropeltis  mioropholu  oligozoua,  70. 

Lantana  horrida,  87. 

Larus  argentatus  .sinithsoniauua,  23. 

heermanni,  23-24. 
Lasiurus  borealis  mexicaiia,  15, 19. 
Leptophis  diplotropia,  69. 
Leptotilaalbifrons,30. 

capitalis,  12.  22,  36. 

fulviventris  brachyptera,  36. 
Lepus  graysoui,  11, 16-17. 
Lonchocarpus,  82. 
Lovebird,  Tres  Marias,  41-42. 
Man  o'- war  bird,  33. 
Marmosa  insularis,  11, 15-16. 
Melanerpes,  23. 
Melanotis  caerulescens,  59. 

cierulescens  longirostris,  12, 22, 59. 

hypoieoooB,  59. 
Melochia  tomentoaa,  79. 
Mclopelia  leucoptera,  22,  36-37. 
Merula  tlavirostris,  60, 61. 

grayi,  62. 

graysoni,  12,  22,  60-62. 

tristis,  62. 
Micropallas,  39. 
Mikania«;ordifolia,84. 
Mimus  polvglottos,  57. 
Mockingbird,  57. 
Momotus,  23. 
Mouse,  Tres  Marias,  16. 
Murrelet,  Short-billed,  23. 
Mus  rattus,  16. 
Myadestes  obscurus,  59. 

obsfiirus  iuaularis,  12, 22,  59-60. 

obscurua  occidentalis.  CO. 
Myiarchus  lawrencei  olivascens,  48-4'J. 

mexicanus  inagister,  48. 
Myiopagis  placens,  50. 

placeus  niinimus,  12, 22, 50. 
Myiozetetea,23. 
Myotis  nigricans,  15, 18. 
Myriocari>a  longipes,  90. 
Ni'cotiaua  trigonophylla,  86. 
Nighthawk,  Texas,  45. 
Nycticorax  violacens,  33-34. 
Nyctidronius  albtoolliB,«. 

albicollis  insularis,  12,  22, 44. 

albicollis  merrilli.  44. 
Oceanodroma  mclania,  28. 
Ochna,  80. 
Ocv]>odo,74. 
Or\|M,(lckuhlii,74. 

occidentalis,  74. 
Opeas  subula,  11. 

Opossum,  Tres  Marias  Pigmy,  11, 15-16. 
Opuntia,12,83. 
Oriole.  Grayson's,  50. 
Ornithion  imberbe,  22, 49. 

imberbe  ridgwayi,49. 
Orthalicus  undatus,  11. 

undatus  melanocheilus,  11. 
Oryzoinya  nelsoni,  11, 16. 
Oaprey,  39. 

Otopterus  mexicanus,  18. 
Owl,  Barn.  39. 

Burrowing.  39. 
Oxyliclis  acuminatua,  69. 
Oyster-catcher,  American,  34-35. 
I'andion  halia-tus  rarolmensis,  39. 
Panicum  brevifolium,91. 
Parauque,  Tres  Marias,  44. 
Parrot,  Double  yellow-head,  39-41. 
Parthenium  hysterophorus,  84. 
Parula,  iusularis,  55. 
Tres  Marias,  55. 
Passittora.  12,  83. 
Paullinia  seaailittora,  81. 
Pclecanus  californicus,  32-33. 
Pelican,  California  Brown,  32-33. 
I'etasophora  thalassina,  62. 
Perityle  microglossa,  84. 
Peroiiiyscus  madreusis,  11, 16. 
Petrel.'  Black.  28. 
Phfethon  a4h.-reus,  28-29. 
Phalacrocorax,  32. 
l'ha.scoliis,82. 
Phofiuua  cuiumuuis,  19. 


INDEX. 


97 


Phyllodactylus  tubereuU.siis,  63.  64-65. 
Physalis  pubeseens.  86. 
Pbytolaooa  octaiidra,  88. 
Piaya.  23. 
Picramnia,  80. 
ciliata.  80 

Pious  scalaris  graysoni,  43. 
I'i-i-on.  Tres  Marias.  35. 
Pilocarpus  insularis.  13,  78.  80. 
Piper  ad ii Hi-mil.  88. 
Piptto,23. 
Pirauga  bideutata,  53, 54. 

bidentata  flammea,  12. 22,  52.  53, 54 
ludovieiana,  23.  52. 
Pitheeolobhtm,  12. 

dulce.39,77,83. 

ligustrinum,  83. 
Platypsaris  aglaia-,  47-48. 

aglai;e,  albiventris,  47,48. 

aglaias  insuiaris.  12.  22, 47-48. 
aglai.t  smnicbrasti,  47-48. 
Plover,  Semipalmated.  34. 
Plucbea  odorata,  84. 
Polyborus  audubonii,  38. 

aiidubonii  insularis,  22. 

cheriway  ].allidus.  12,22,38-3'J 
Polygyra  ventrosula,  11. 
PoropByUoni  nommnlariom,  84. 
Porpoise,  Common,  10. 

Long-nosed,  19. 
Portlaudia  pterosperma,  84. 
Procyon  lotor  iusularis,  11, 17. 
Prodelphinus  longirostris.  19. 
Psidium.  35, 83. 
Psittacnla  cyanopyga,  41-42. 

insularis,  12.  22*  41-42. 
Pterislongifolia,91. 
Putfinus  cuueatus,  27-28. 

knudseni,  27. 
Pyrgisoma,  23. 
Pyrrhopha-na  graysoni,  45. 
Haeooon,  Tres  Marias,  17. 
Kat,  Black,  16. 

Xejson's  Rice,  16. 
RhogeSaM  parvnla.  11, 18. 
Rbogeessa,  Tres  Marias,  18. 
Rhynchosia  minima,. 82. 

precatoria,  82. 
Russelia  sarmeutosa,  86. 
Qtiiscalus  niacrourus,  52. 
Saltator.  23. 
Sal  via  aliena,  88. 
Sandpiper,  Spotted.  34. 
Si-eloporns  boulengeri.  67. 

clarkii,67. 

borridus,  67. 

olijjoporus,  67. 
Scbctptia  schreberi,  80. 
Sea  Lion,  15, 17-18. 
Si-rjania  mexicana,  80. 
Shearwater,  \Vedjie-tailed,  27-28. 
Solanum,  12. 

callicarpaefolium,  86. 

lanceitfolium,  86. 

nigrum,  86. 

torvum,  86. 

verbascifolium,  86. 
Solitaire,  Tres  Marias.  59-60. 
Spanish  cedar,  7,  8, 9, 12. 
Speotyto  cunicularia  hypoga-a,39. 
Stac-hys  coccinea.  88. 
Stegnosperma  lialituitblia,  88. 
Sterna  i-lcgans,  24. 

fiiliginosa  crissalis,  24-26. 

galericulata,  24. 

maxima,  24. 
Strix  pratincola,  39. 
Sula  ba.ssanii,  29. 

brewsteri,  29-30. 

ijiissi.  31,  32. 


Sula  uebonxii,  31-32. 

]>is«-ator,31. 

websteri.  29. 
Swallow,  Barn.  54. 
Tanager.  Louisiana,  52. 

Tres  Marias,  52, 53. 
Tej.brosia,  81. 
Tern,  Elegant.  24. 

Pacific  Noddy,  26-27. 

Pacific  Sooty,  24-26. 

Royal.  24. 

Terflostrcemia  maltbya,  13,78. 
Thalurauia  glancopis,  62. 

lueiie,  62. 
Tbrush,  Olive  backed,  60. 

Russet-backed,  60. 
Thryothorus  felix,  22.  57,  58. 

lawreiicii,  12, 22. 57, 58. 

lawreucii  magdalenae,  12. 22. 58. 
Tournefortia  Candida,  85. 

cymosa,  85. 

velutiua,  85. 
Totanus  flavipes,  34. 
Tres  Marias,  Blue  Mockingbird,  59. 

Caracara,  38-39. 

Cardinal.  52. 

Chat-Warbler.  56-57. 

Cottontail.  16-17. 

Dove,  36. 

Glossopbaga.  18-19. 

Lovebird.  41-42. 

Mouse,  16. 

Parauque,  44. 

Parula,  55-56. 

Pigeon.  35. 

Pigmy  Opossum.  11, 15-16. 

Raccoon,  17. 

Red-tailed  Hawk,  37-38. 

Rhogeessa,  18. 

Robin,  60-61. 

Solitaire,  59-60. 

Tanager.  52. 

Vireo,  54-55. 

Trichilia  spondioides,  80. 
Trixis  frutescens.  84. 
Trogon  ambigiius,  42. 

ambiguus  goldmani,  12,  22.  42-43. 
Trogon,  Goldman's,  42-43. 
Tropic  Bird,  Red-billed,  28-29. 
Turdus  flavirostris,  60. 
Turtle,  Mud,  11. 

Tyrannus  melaucholicus  couchi.  22, 48. 
L1  rauomitra  guatemalensis,  62. 
Urvillea  ulmacea,  81. 
Uta  lateralis,  66-67. 
Vireo  flavovindis  forreri,  12, 21,  22, 54, 55. 

hypochryseus,  54. 

hj-pochryseus  sordidus,  12,  22,  54-55. 
A'ireo,  Ferrer's,  54. 

Tres  Marias.  54-55. 
Vulture,  Turkey.  37. 
Warbler,  Alaskan  Yellow,  56. 

Audubon's,  56. 

Pileolated,  57. 

Townsend's,  56. 

Tres  Marias  Chat-,  56, 57. 

Western  Yellow,  56. 
Wilsonia  pusilla  pileolata,  57. 
Wissadnln  hirautifiora,  79. 
Wonil  IVwee.  Western,  49. 
\V]-i-u.Mamlali-na,58. 

Maria  Madre,  57-58. 
Xinienia  americana,  80. 
Yellow-legs,  34. 
Zalophns  californiauus,  17-18. 
Zamia  loddigesii,  91. 
Zanthoxylum  insularis,  13,  78.  70. 

nelsoni,  13,78,79. 
Zenaidura  macroura,  36. 


X0.  14- 


Date  Due 


CAT.   NO.  24    161 


UTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  671  304    4 


